


Häggström - Book 1

by ColorlesslyCreations



Series: Three's A Crowd [1]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: About the whole death thing, Adventure, Afterlife, Angst, Betrayal, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Bonding, Character Death, Curse Breaking, Curses, Explicit Language, Fantasy, Fluff, Friends to Enemies, Gen, Gets wild later on, Ghosts, Happy Ending, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, I think they are at least, I told you not to worry, Major Character Injury, Minecraft, No Romance, No Smut, No beta we die like corey in this fic, OCs - Freeform, ONLY bromance though, Or maybe not curse breaking, Pillagers, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, Platonic Soulmates, Prophecy, Strangers to Friends, Tension, The Nether (Minecraft), Violence, and back again, but theres still a plot, cause theyre all homiesexual, dont worry about it too much, raid, travelling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:34:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26735197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColorlesslyCreations/pseuds/ColorlesslyCreations
Summary: A knight, a cleric baker, and an ex-thief find themselves thrown very suddenly into the hands of an old folktale. Now with one goal in mind: Get to the ancient endcities and retrieve Caitir, whatever that is. Tensions only rise as time goes on and the group finds themselves wondering what secrets they're keeping from each other.[Previously titled "Three's A Crowd." Which is the name of the entire series. "Haggstrom" is the title of Book 1]
Series: Three's A Crowd [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2022863
Comments: 11
Kudos: 2





	1. I've Got A Bad Feeling About This.

The grass was flattened under the heavy footfalls of a pair of familiar iron boots. It was staggering how fast everything changed in just a few hours. His king, or rather, the king was never regarded as a wonderful or kind ruler. If anything King Mars was just there. He’d interfere when conflict or situations requiring his presence arose but was otherwise rarely seen. However, David had only felt a hint of surprise when he discovered what was truly keeping King Mars away. Regardless, the surprise was aimed more towards the fact the king was, quite literally, making deals with demons for power. At his revelation David tried to warn the other knights and townsfolk as best he could before being caught. Which is what brought him to the same field he’d walked in so many times before with varying groups of people, even the occasional sword fight took place on the very grass he found himself now running for his life on.

His armor clattered together noisily in their messed up placement; he had to shove it on quickly to avoid the guards chasing him. How quickly they had gone from being on good terms to the entirety of the king’s guard seeking him out in complete bloodlust. David might’ve chuckled humorlessly at this realization if it weren’t for the chorus of shouts behind him. One trip on a loose pebble would send him downwards with a sword stabbed through his back shortly after; even worse, he was losing light. The sun would disappear from the horizon soon and, while that would definitely aid in his stealth, without it he was bound to slip-up eventually.

For a life or death situation, it had comedically good timing. Just as he was formulating a plan of escape into the forest the ground suddenly caved below him. A ravine, he’d missed it in the dark. David could’ve sworn it was a few yards south from where he was running but he knew it didn’t matter now. The knights above watched as his body collided with a few jutted out stones on the walls before falling still at the bottom. Each waited silently to see if the soldier would move but after a few minutes they decided he was as good as dead and left. David was not completely unconscious from the fall and swore he heard a muttered ‘Im sorry’ above before he let the darkness cover him.

-

He woke up slowly and numbly. It took him a few seconds to remember the night before and why he was laying on cold rocks and not a cozy bed in the palace. With the traumatic memories of the knights chasing him down angrily returning, his body seemingly remembered the fact he’d fallen down an entire ravine. David groaned in pain before doing his best to move, wanting to at least be able to sit upright. After a painful few moments he discovered three important things: firstly, his legs were both in decent condition, a sprained ankle but nothing he couldn’t handle. Secondly, his left arm was beyond fucked. Lastly, he had the worst headache one could imagine. David guessed he had flipped himself while falling down the ravine, causing most of the major blows to land on his upper torso and arms. Albeit painful, the rocks that jutted out of the sides softened the fall greatly, if he’d fallen straight down the middle he would not have gotten up. With a sudden boost of adrenaline, he reached into the pouch he had brought with him and thanked the gods it was heavily padded while chugging one of the two potions of healing he'd stolen before fleeing. After the potion took effect David stared up at the blue sky above him. The knight took note of his inventory now after the fall. The pair of iron leggings he’d been wearing were shattered beyond repair on the cave floor along with a couple other potions and bottles of water. Everything else was otherwise intact and unscathed, except for him.  
“Great.” He sighed letting his gaze travel upwards again, “Getting out of here is gonna be a bitch.”

-

It wasn’t that her life in the village was unfavorable or terrible, in fact, for being one of the most populated villages on their side of the world, it was peaceful. That is what was beginning to drive Alexis insane. Every day was the same, she’d wake up, walk downstairs to the bakery, work for most of the day, and have a bit of free time before going to bed. When the days began blending together she decided she’d had enough of the bakery and left it to one of her good friends. For about two weeks now she found herself journeying to the market each day in hopes of catching a fellow traveller in need of company. Her luck was short, however, and so far the three others who had offered were on adventures a bit too monumental for Alexis. I mean, who willingly is on a quest to kill the wither? Certainly not her.

On a particularly overcast day she found herself in the market once again, beginning to give up hope for a travelling companion. Then her eyes caught something she’d only seen in her own home, a potion. Alexis had to do a double take as she looked to the stranger’s hip to see that her eyes did not deceive her. She couldn’t tell as it was mostly obscured by the bag but it looked possibly to be a healing potion. At this realization she looked up to see who the stranger was that held the bottle. He appeared to be some sort of knight with iron tools strapped to his back and armor covering his body. His shirt appeared to be a dark blue, the same color as the bag holding the potion while his face was turned mostly away from her, a helmet obscuring the rest of his head.

Before she could get the stranger’s attention he took something from the shopkeep he was speaking to and began walking towards the gates of the village. Alexis had to jog slightly to catch up to him before he could disappear from her sight completely. 

“Excuse me! Sir please wait!” She yelled after him before grabbing his shoulder lightly. The knight turned around and Alexis could now see his blue eyes and the blonde hair that stuck out under the helmet. He hummed and looked down at her, obviously waiting for her to continue.

“Sorry about that, but back there in the market I saw that you have a potion in your bag. Do you happen to be a travelling cleric?” At the mention of the potion the stranger seemed to tense and dropped his gaze, “I’m sorry but it’s not for sale, and i'm no cleric.” He kept his hands by his side in case he needed to quickly grab his sword.

Alexis recoiled slightly at the sudden aggression before realizing what had caused it, “Oh no that's not at all what I meant! I’m a cleric myself and I noticed the potion so I just assumed. I’m actually looking for someone who is in need of a travelling partner and wanted to ask if I could join you?” The knight relaxed a bit at the statement before looking off, seemingly in thought. Just as Alexis was about to apologize and be on her way he spoke.

“I’m not sure I'm exactly the partner you’re hoping for, as of right now I'm just trying to survive rather than go after some quest or prophecy shit. If you’re looking for more adventure you should go to someone else.” He returned his gaze back to Alexis to see her response. “That's perfect actually! I’m more looking to just get around, see the world you know?” There was a long pause as the two just stared at each other, one with narrowed eyes and the other with hopeful eyes.

Finally, the knight sighed defeatedly, “Well I suppose you being a cleric would be useful. If you want you can come along. My name is David by the way.” The knight held out a gloved hand to Alexis, which she took gratefully before shaking, “Thank you so much. Mines Alexis, nice to meet you.”

-

That was a few months ago now and the duo had been inseparable ever since. They had travelled through many biomes and villages together and despite neither being on a trip for adventure, that did not stop the mobs from wreaking havoc on their plans. Even through hordes of zombies and caves infested with spiders; together, they survived and made their way across the world.

Despite them being on their journey for so long an end goal was still not set. David hoped deep down that he could figure out a way to save his kingdom from the tyrannical rule of the king and kept an extra eye out for anything that could help, with no luck so far. Alexis, on the other hand, had been enjoying the sights and company. She’d never expected the outside world to be both terrifying and invigorating. The stark contrast of the cold-blooded fear at hearing a creeper hiss in the distance to watching amazed at how the stars really did twinkle in the night sky left her wondering what other surprises were left undiscovered.

If he was being honest, David had expected Alexis to bail and run back to the village during their first encounter with a stray spider. The creature had lunged towards them with a hiss before being promptly killed by the knight. When he turned around Alexis had gone pale with fear, asking in a trembling voice what the hell that was. After explaining the hostile mobs to her, he had given her a spare dagger in his pouch, doing his best to explain how to properly use it. When she had decided to stay, David asked why,

“I know I said I wasn’t looking for an adventure, but if I give up now I'll be throwing away an opportunity i've wanted for so long. I can’t leave yet.” David felt a slight twinge of hurt at the yet, but it was to be expected. In the short time they’d known each other they’d grown quite fond of one another. Neither said it out loud, but they both knew nothing would separate them.

-

The City of Haakath, one of the largest capitals in their world, is where they currently found themselves. The pair trudged down some of the quieter streets, currently looking for a good place to eat and possibly a job or two for some extra money. Unfortunately, the two only had enough emeralds for a meal and possibly a cheap place to stay for the night, leaving them in a tricky situation. They came across a butchery and quickly checked the prices before deciding it’d have to work for now.

“I’ll go in and buy enough for tonight, wanna look around a bit and see if there’s any jobs available?” Alexis questioned while opening the door to the shop, “Yeah sure, just wait outside and ill meet you back here, yeah?” David turned to the street, beginning his search. “Sounds good.” Alexis waved a goodbye before shutting the door behind her.

David stared left and right at the city before him, noting that there were indeed people looking for help. He decided it couldn’t hurt to see what they wanted and began walking towards them. Haakath is far from a good city, it’s population only contributing to its high crime rate. So David wasn't surprised when many of the “jobs” people offered, were to kill someone or seriously injure them. He didn’t accept any of them though and politely declined each one. Unfortunately, this means he returned to Alexis empty-handed.

“I’m sure we’ll be fine, we’ve made it this far right? Let’s just go find a good place to stay for the night before it gets too dark out.” Alexis fastened her pack back to her hip before dragging David down the brick road again.

Their luck seemed short tonight as each Inn they attempted to get into denied them access. It seemed that they didn’t have enough emeralds after all, much to their dismay. After being kicked out of the fourth Inn they sat down at the steps to the building. David sighed and held his head in his hands, “Ughh, what are we gonna do now? It’ll be day again by the time we find a place.” Alexis could only pat him on the shoulder before looking out at the dark, empty streets. “I… don’t know either. I’m sorry.” David kept his head down, “At least we have each other! Who needs a bed when you got a knight in shining armor.” Alexis gave him a friendly pat on the back. David chuckled lightly, “You’re so fucking cheesy, shut up.” She wheezed slightly before adding, “Aww, but you love me.” with a smug grin. David rolled his eyes and stood up, extending a hand to help Alexis up.

“So where do we go now?” She looked around them, seeing how most of the shop lights had been turned off. “I say we walk around one last time, if we don’t find anywhere then I guess just head back to the forest for the night? I think I trust the mobs more than criminals.” David began walking and Alexis followed closely, “Sounds good to me.”

Their footsteps only got louder as the city got quieter, turning the atmosphere from calm to tense. They were both on edge now, flinching at the smallest of sounds. From the dripping of water onto the bricks of the road to the light tapping of an animal's feet across the alleyways had their skin crawling. However, neither of them spoke to clear the silence, it would only make them a bigger target to any who were possibly watching them and give their attackers a chance at being unheard. The pair had been walking for a couple blocks now when David finally whipped his head around. He could feel the set of eyes boring into the back of his head and finally had enough. “Who the fuck is there! Quit cowering in the shadows already.” Minutes went by and David had hoped his shout scared whoever it was off, but these hopes were shattered as two men revealed themselves. Each wore a mask and a black cloak with stone swords at their sides. Adrenaline kicked in and before either could realize it, David had grabbed Alexis’ wrist and began sprinting away from the men. A pair of footfalls were clearly heard over their own, signaling that they were indeed being chased. For a while neither party made any progress, just running down the street, until they were met with a dead end. At seeing their predicament the two men decided to slow down and walk towards David and Alexis.

“Listen, you either give us your goods, or we kill you and take them.” The larger of the two spoke, unsheathing his sword. David stood in front of Alexis and took out his own gold sword, “Not happening. Leave us alone.” The masked man laughed emotionlessly, “If you insist.” In the flash the man had raised his sword to swing at David, the other hanging back slightly. He didn’t have time to bring his own up to block the hit, instead bracing himself for the pain of impact. It never came, instead being replaced by a cry of pain from in front of him. The pair both looked in front of them to find that the man had been impaled by a diamond sword, the owner of which quickly removed the blade and kicked the body aside. The new stranger turned his back to David and Alexis in order to stare at the remaining criminal. The man stared at the corpse of his partner before attempting to quickly turn and run away, earning a “tsk” from the new stranger and a crossbow bolt in his back. 

After returning the crossbow to its place behind him the new stranger turned around, sword still in hand. They removed the hood of their cape from their head and stared at the two, who returned the gaze. In the dark the pair could make out that his hair was a dark crimson and he wore a pair of goggles that effectively made his eyes impossible to make out. David was still in a stance ready to fight, seeing as the other had yet to put their weapon away.

“Considering I just saved your asses, it’s rather rude of you to be trying to fight me.” The stranger said with a frown.  
“Yeah well how do I know you’re just making sure they don’t steal your kill? You just killed two people, what's two more?” David retorted angrily.

“Steal my kill? The fuck do you take me for? Plus, your sword is almost broken. If I wanted to kill you there I wouldn’t have started the conversation.” The stranger punctuated his statement by ,without warning, bringing his sword to hit David’s directly. The gold shattered on impact, leaving the pair with just Alexis’ dagger. David gasped, driving him and Alexis to the wall, “Stay back!” He yelled. Alexis attempted snaking her hand around to her pouch in order to grab a harming potion.

The stranger snapped his gaze over and pointed his sword at the baker, “Don’t even try it. I’m here to help you, try anything and I might just leave you to the other street rats around here.” Alexis raised her hands in surrender, figuring at this point they were either dying here or on some other street. To their surprise the man smiled genuinely and sheathed his sword.

“It’s wonderful to meet you. Name’s Corey. I heard you’re looking for a place to stay and would like to help ya out. All I ask in return is that you allow me to accompany you on your journey.” He pocketed his hands and looked at the two for their answer.

David looked at Alexis and signaled to Corey to give them a minute. He nodded and let his gaze wander around the city block they were in, hearing hushed whispering and arguing from the pair before David cleared his throat, drawing his attention back. “Well, we wouldn’t mind the company, but why exactly are you helping us? Much less wanting to come along?” Corey hummed in thought for a moment before answering, “Like I said, I'm no assassin or hitman. I can kill people, it doesn't mean I enjoy it though. I’ve been in Haakath for a couple weeks now and I absolutely hate it here. I was planning on leaving soon anyway, actually. I overheard you and Alexis here talking about your travels and decided it would be better with company.” Alexis narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest, “And how do you know my name?” Corey sighed, “David and Alexis, I was literally stalking you all day. I thought I mentioned that.” David chimed in, “Actually you just said you “overheard” us, you didn’t say anything about stalking.” 

They could tell Corey was losing patience, “Listen. I'm offering you a safe place to stay in return for company. Do you accept or am I stuck with four victims tonight?” Corey scowled at the pair, “Doesn’t sound like we have much of a choice.” Alexis replied and was met with a breeze from Corey’s cape as he turned, “Nope. Now follow me, or don’t. A chase always makes things more fun.” They could hear the grin on his face as he began walking, the pair following, “For a person who dislikes killing you talk like a serial killer.” Corey laughed and turned to face them, still walking, “That's the point, sweetie.” Alexis gave a look of disgust that he caught before turning back around, “Never call me that again.” Corey smiled, “Get used to it, you both are stuck with me now.” David yawned, clearly bored, “Just get us to this stupid room already, quit bickering.” With that the three set out down the path once again, unaware of the journey ahead of them.


	2. Uneasy Alliance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “There are two ways we can do this, either you both start walking up the stairs and I'll follow behind,” He unsheathed the diamond sword at his hip, “Or we can just end our little journey here.”

A gentle rain storm had made its way to the city by the time the group reached their destination. The small patter of the droplets only reduced their wavering consciousness more. Alexis had completely zoned out while walking and just barely caught herself before barreling into Corey. 

“We’re here.” He announced to the other two, who turned their heads up to see where Corey had brought them. It looked similar to an abandoned complex, with multiple stories and a set of stairs leading to the roof. No lights could be seen in any of the windows and many of the balconies were hanging loosely on the wall.

“This doesn’t look sketchy as fuck.” David stated with the most sarcasm he could muster considering how fatigued he was. “Welcome to Haakath my friend, the city of sketch, if you will.” Corey replied with a grin, “Now, who would like to go up first?” he turned to the pair with a clap, looking expectantly for a volunteer. David and Alexis both exchanged glances before looking back at the building. 

“Up the stairs you mean?” Alexis pointed to the rusted bars, “Are you sure that’s safe?” Corey looked up the structure before returning his gaze to Alexis, “Not at all, but it's either this, or sleep outside and get murdered in your sleep. I think the best option is pretty clear.” He cleared his throat, “So, who wants to go first?” He repeated.

David scoffed, “Why not you? Since this was your idea anyway. Plus, how can we trust you? For all we know you have a whole gang up there waiting to steal our stuff and do the dirty work for you.” He crossed his arms over his chest defiantly with a glare. Alexis nodded her head, “I agree, this entire situation is really weird.” Even through the goggles the pair could feel the glare they were receiving from Corey, who sighed and attempted to keep his calm.

“There are two ways we can do this, either you both start walking up the stairs and I'll follow behind,” He unsheathed the diamond sword at his hip, “Or we can just end our little journey here.” His mouth returned to being a thin line, showing nothing but indifference towards the two, as if he was fully prepared for the second option to be the outcome. The pair both felt a tremor of fear at the reminder of their predicament and looked between Corey and the stairs behind him.

-

Eventually their destination was reached, which turned out to be one of the abandoned apartments in the complex. Not without Alexis slipping on the stairs halfway to the fifth floor and David rushing to make sure he didn’t go down with her, while Corey chuckled at their antics.

“Hey! I know we’re not exactly on good terms, but laughing at someone potentially getting seriously injured isn’t cool, at all.” David yelled back at Corey through the rain that had since become a shower, “Your friend almost threw a harming potion on me after I saved you and your belongings, I consider it to be a nice dose of karma.” Corey had replied, still with the diamond sword slung on his back.

Now that they were, mostly, safe inside the room, David had a chance to check if Alexis was alright. They discovered she had sprained her ankle, nothing a bit of healing potion couldn’t fix. After Alexis drank the potion and David wrapped the foot to be safe they both spent a bit of time exploring the apartment. It was very obviously long abandoned as many of the decorations were torn and shattered while debris littered the floor and furniture. However, it seemed decently kept as one of the beds and the kitchen were noticeably cleaner than the rest of the rooms.

“Have you been living here?” Alexis inquired after taking a seat at the kitchen table with David. Corey hummed in thought, “I suppose you could say that. I really only use it for storage and as a safe place to stay when I need to, such as when it rains.” Corey motions to one of the windows, where the muffled taps of the rain could be heard, “Well one of the beds back there is… clean, so I assumed this was your home of sorts.” Alexis motioned around the room. He chuckled humorlessly, “I wish I could say that bed is for me, but I won’t lie, I don’t exactly need sleep.” He closed the drawer he had been rummaging around in and leaned backwards on the counter, facing the other two. 

“Did you make a bed for us?” Alexis asked at the same time David inquired, “Don’t need sleep?” Corey seemed to ignore David in favor of answering Alexis’ question, “No. Until 30 minutes ago I wasn’t sure if I was bringing guests or a pair of corpses.” Corey joked, earning only a wide-eyed stare and a glare, “Hmm, tough crowd I see. If you need to know that terribly it used to belong to a friend, that doesn’t matter anymore though. It’s your bed for tonight and in the morning we can get the hell outta here, sound good?” He stood up straight and waited for the other two to follow suit, “You clearly already know which room it is so I don’t think you need help there. If there’s anything else i'll be here. Don’t try anything.” He offered a wide smile at that and ushered the other two towards the room. “God, can you get any worse? I swear you can’t go ten minutes without threatening our fucking lives.” Corey only offered a wheeze in response to David’s question, who relented and entered the bedroom. Alexis offered a final glance to Corey, who responded with a wave and a grin, before entering the bedroom as well.

“Should we sleep in shifts or something? I really don’t trust this guy.” David asked with a yawn as he sat down on the bed. “If you want, i'll take the first one.” Alexis sat down on the opposite end, facing the door while David laid down behind her, quickly falling asleep.

-

Alexis was unsure of how much time had passed but upon opening her eyes it was clear she had fallen asleep at some point during the night. The rain had slowed to a soft trill on the windows but the sky outside was still pitch black. Knowing she wouldn’t be falling back asleep easily she decided to get up and take a walk around the apartment. The first thing she noticed was a light coming from the kitchen and walked down the hall into the room. Corey was standing with his elbows resting on the counter, writing in what appeared to be a journal. Upon hearing the footsteps he lifted his chin to look at Alexis, who was standing in the hallway.

“Couldn’t sleep?” He returned his gaze to the book, “Feel free to sit down.” Alexis relaxed slightly and took the seat furthest away from him. “No, I just can’t fall back asleep.” She sighed and Corey nodded in understanding. It was suddenly very silent, even the rain seemed to have gone quiet, leaving behind an unsettling atmosphere. Wanting to break the silence Alexis decided to ask a question she’d had since first meeting him. “So… what’s with the colorful goggles? If it’s supposed to hide your identity it kinda fails since we can see everything else.” Corey paused writing in his journal to turn his gaze towards Alexis, or she could only assume as his head was now facing her. He seemed to study her facial expression before exhaling, “I wish I could answer all your questions, I really do.” From the way his shoulders seemed to sag she started thinking of ways to lighten the mood.

“What are you writing about? Is that like a diary?” She inquired, craning her neck in an attempt to look at what he was writing. The tip of the pen met Corey’s lip in thought before returning to the paper, “Not exactly, it's more of a log about my adventures and the like. You’re welcome to read it, it’s not personal.” Alexis took this as an offer to walk over and stand by him. The page he was working on had the title “Striders” and was filled with information and drawings of an odd looking creature she’d never seen before. “What is that?” She pointed to the sketch of a bipedal beast. “They’re called striders, friendly little mobs that you can use to cross lava pools in the Nether. They’re pretty cute despite their appearance.” When he was met with silence he tilted his head to look at Alexis and was surprised to see her look taken aback. “You’ve been to the Nether?” She almost screamed, “Jesus, keep your voice down. Yeah, you haven’t?” She stuttered for a bit at the casual tone, “No! Never actually! Why are you so-” Her sentence was cut short when a gloved hand clamped her mouth shut. “Keep it the fuck down, we aren’t the only people who take refuge here y’know.” Corey moved his hand away and returned to his writing.

“You should probably try falling back asleep now, since we’ll be leaving pretty early in the morning. I need to go out for a bit but i'll be back before the sun is fully up. Help yourselves to any of the supplies here while i'm gone.” With that Corey closed the book, storing it away in one of the drawers before grabbing a leather bag and heading towards the balcony door. He gave Alexis a short wave before disappearing down the stairs. Alexis walked back to the bedroom to find David still asleep and laid down with her back towards him. Eventually, unconsciousness came back to claim her and she fell into a restless sleep.

-

She awoke to her shoulders being shaken violently and a familiar voice whispering her name, “Alexis. Alexis! Wake up. We need to go while we have a chance.” David repeated in a harsh whisper. “Alright Im up, what time is it?” Alexis asked with a groan, sitting up straight on the bed. She looked out the window to find that the weather had cleared and the sun's light was beginning to show itself, it was very early in the morning.

“Is Corey back yet?” She turned to David, who was shoving supplies in his bag. “No, that’s why we need to leave now. Grab all the supplies you can and meet me by the stairs.” Alexis was going to protest before really thinking about their situation. Sure, Corey had seemed somewhat friendly towards them for the most part, but could he really be trusted? Was Alexis really about to put that trust into a stranger over her best friend? After coming to her conclusion she simply nodded at David’s request and grabbed her bag. The kitchen seemed like the best bet and she began taking anything that could be of value, including some emeralds, miscellaneous food, and a bit of water, before meeting David by the stairs.

“We gotta be really careful, stick to the sides of the roads. Once we reach the gates of the city we make a run for the forest, alright?” Alexis gave him a half-hearted thumbs up and they both descended the stairs, putting up their hoods and being as quick and stealthy as possible.

Eventually, they made it to the gates of Haakath and they exchanged glances. David nodded and they both sprinted towards the trees of the nearby forest. After getting a couple hundred feet from the treeline the pair stopped to catch their breath. “Alright. Let’s keep walking, I don’t want there to be any chance of him finding us.” David continued walking into the forest and Alexis quickly followed beside him.

-

The cool morning air combined with the lack of sunlight in the roofed forest left the two shivering from the cold. Their thin coats only kept them from being unbearably frigid and they soon decided it would be best to stop for a bit and warm up. 

Before the two could settle down and grab their blankets, they found their heads snapping towards an unfamiliar sound. The forest went deafeningly quiet and David wished he still had his gold sword with him. A standstill seemed to occur where nothing and nobody moved, David and Alexis simply watching the trees from which the noise came from. They considered dismissing the sound as just being the forest’s ambiance when a figure broke through the branches in front of them.

His diamond sword was strapped to his hip while he held a crossbow in his hand. The colorful goggles the pair had been met with each time they looked at him stared back at them. His chin slowly turned downwards threateningly and the pair could feel his eyes on them. Corey was silent, not even giving the two an aggravated quip about how they had abandoned him and stole his supplies.

“Uhh, heyy! Crazy seeing you here. Me and Alexis were just scoping the area you know? Pathfinding and all that. I promise we were gonna come back and get you. Right Alexis?” David turned towards his friend with a nervous smile, urging her to agree, “Yes of course! We were just about to head back actually.” She offered a matching smile and looked to see Corey’s reaction.

His gaze only increased in intensity as the baker and the knight obviously lied to him. Corey offered no response to them though, and instead reached behind his back slowly. Alexis and David both watched him in confusion and slight terror, which only grew as he pulled a bolt from behind him and loaded the crossbow. He lifted the weapon slowly and aimed it directly towards David’s head. They were paralyzed with fear, Alexis watched in horror as Corey aimed for her friend. She realized that this is it, this is where their journey ends, at the hands of a bloodthirsty thief.


	3. Not Today, Thank You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You both are fucking idiots. This might hurt a bit, I promise it doesn’t last long.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a LOT shorter than the other chapters, this is because chapter 4 will be a lot longer and could not be split. Sorry for the inconsistency.

Time seemed to be at a standstill. The forest was silent, filled only with the anticipation of the impending sound of a crossbow firing. Alexis didn’t know what to do for her friend. All the stories and plays make it seem so easy for the character to simply turn and take a bullet for the other, but truly being there revealed otherwise. It was as if her feet had been solidified in concrete, as she could only stare down the barrel of the weapon aimed for David.

Their strength to move seemed to return at a single shouted command, “GET DOWN!” Corey screamed. David did not have to think twice before he ducked, his hands covering his head. The bolt was fired and landed firmly into the forehead of a zombie that had been sneaking up on the two. Alexis and David both turned around to watch as the beast fell to the ground, gurgling out a final breath. They did not get a chance to feel relieved as both of their shoulders were firmly grabbed by the other. 

“You both are fucking idiots. This might hurt a bit, I promise it doesn’t last long.” Suddenly, the world seemed to cave in on itself. Their vision warped and twisted into a mix of colors and indistinguishable shapes, with a pressure that was steadily building in their heads. In the confusion, Alexis swore she heard what sounded like a snap. Without warning, everything came back. They were laying on what appeared to be moss, in a completely different location from the forest. David came to with a groan, “What the hell was that? My head is pounding.” Alexis could only give a shrug as she stood up, swaying for a moment until the pain subsided.

They were on what appeared to be a mountaintop considering the patches of frost and lack of trees, as well as the fact they could see a mountain range surrounding them. Fully remembering what just happened Alexis turned around to face David, who was slightly stumbling over a few loose rocks. She walked over to help him up, grabbing his arm for support. “Thanks.” He mumbled. 

She was about to reply when a harsh whisper cut through the cold air. The pair turned to look at what made the noise, discovering it was Corey, who was currently facing away from them. “Shit...shit… shit… no… not now.” He repeated under his breath. The other two exchanged a glance before walking slowly over to the other, “Is everything… okay?” Alexis started to reach a hand out to the other but was stopped by an angry, “Don’t.” David pulled her back and waited with baited breath for the other to calm down.

After a few minutes of more hushed whispers and concerned glances Corey sighed, placing his pair of destroyed goggles on top of his head. He turned around to face the other two with an incomprehensible expression. The three simply stared at each other for a few moments, each not knowing what to say.

“Sorry about… y’know… your glasses… they broke.” David offered, based on the reaction however, he supposed it wasn’t the right thing to say. “No shit! What are you gonna tell me next smartass? That you stole half my supplies? That after I saved you two bitches and offered you a safe place to stay you abandoned me? That you fled into the MIDDLE OF A FUCKING ROOFED FOREST BEFORE THE SUN IS UP AND ALMOST DIED TO A ZOMBIE?!” Now with a full view of the other in the light of the morning, David and Alexis made a startling observation, Corey was not human. Even in the brightness of the morning his eyes seemed to give off a slight glow, and he had fangs, not just sharp canines, his teeth were sharp and inhuman. 

“What are you?” David asked with narrowed eyes and moved to shield Alexis, who would’ve rolled her eyes if their situation wasn’t terrifyingly confusing. Corey scoffed, “HA! I bet you’d like to know. It’s pretty obvious you two don’t trust me, why should I give if I wont get in return?” David opened his mouth to respond but Corey cut him off, “Unless you’re going to suddenly promise to trust me, I ain’t listening. There’s a village not far from here. You can either follow me or i'll drag you there myself.” He turned around with finality, not waiting for them to respond. Neither took the opportunity to move, until Corey turned around, loading another bolt into his crossbow.

-

The walk was uncomfortably silent, Alexis and David both on edge still. Corey simply continued walking with an unreadable expression, they could tell he was still beyond pissed though. “Um, if you don’t mind me asking. How did we get here?” Alexis asked as calmly as she could, trying to make sure the question didn’t set him off accidentally. When her question was met with silence, David finally let his anger free. “Alright asshole, you’re the one who’s basically kidnapped us. The LEAST you could do is answer our questions before you kill us instead of being a-” His sentence was cut short by a diamond sword at his throat. Corey offered him only a look of indifference as he held his life at his fingertips, “Like I said, when you reciprocate the trust I've already given, and lost, you can have your answers.” He sheathed his sword and continued on.

“How many times can I almost die in one day?” David pondered out loud. “A lot, apparently.” Alexis replied with a humorless giggle, trying to lighten the mood. “As long as we’re still together, I think we can handle being kidnapped and almost dying. At least we go down as a team, right?” She offered a friendly smile, “Sure.” David half attempted to return the gesture. 

The three trudged through the snow, now not only uncertain of their destination and the journey ahead, and of each other.


	4. Those Were The Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He’s a fucking asshole.” David almost screamed, Alexis’ eyes widened and drifted from sharing David’s eye contact to slightly above his head. “Uh, behind you.”
> 
> David turned around slowly and was met with Corey staring down at him, he awaited for the other to snap, assuming he just heard everything that was said."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is by far the longest chapter, taking me 3 days to write. I do not have it in me to proofread it right now, apologies for any errors/ repeats/ etc.

Snow crunched under the three pairs of footfalls. Flakes fell gently from the sky as the sun departed from it, causing the ground to shimmer in the approaching moonlight. The usual silence that accompanied the group had returned, save for the occasional hushed whispers between David and Alexis. The soft glow of lights could be seen through the thin covering of fog in the distance, which the other two assumed to be the village Corey spoke of. Alexis shivered in the thin coat she wore, with the sun gone there was little keeping her warm. David wrapped an arm around her shoulder, offering what little heat he could. Alexis mumbled a ‘thanks’ and continued trying to warm herself up.

“Hey, I know you’re kinda pissed right now, but think you can spare a coat?” David looked from his friend to Corey, who stopped and turned towards the other two. His eyes seemed to study them both for a moment before his hands reached around to take his coat off. He offered it to Alexis who took it gratefully, wrapping herself in the cloth. Corey returned to walking ahead of the group, leading them closer to the village.

The pair found themselves running into Corey’s back after getting just outside the village. Curious, Alexis was about to peek around him and see what was wrong before David stopped her. She looked up at him with a questioning gaze and he leaned forward. “Its an enderman.” He whispered simply. Alexis nodded and took caution when moving her eyes away. It was, in fact, an ender that stood before them, only giving the group a short warble before teleporting away.

-

“There’s a golem guarding the gates.” Corey stated after they had made their way closer to their destination. The group could feel the change in atmosphere now that they’d made it. Compared to the wilderness, it had been getting warmer the closer they got to the town and smoke could be seen from the fires that kept it that way. “You two can go ahead and walk in, ill find you.” Corey began walking away from the pair before he was stopped by a firm grip on his forearm.

“Why can’t you just walk in? Are you wanted here or something?” With a sigh he turned around to face both of them, annoyed. “I think we’ve already established I'm not exactly a human. Seeing as you’re a knight and you lived in a village, I assume you know what golems do to creatures like me.” He pointed to each respectively at their mentioned backgrounds. “Oh… yeah, thats fair. I still don’t trust you though. The only reason Im walking in here is cause it’s cold as fuck.” David turned back towards the gates, his arm still wrapped around his friend. Corey only hummed in response as he grew further away.

The golem nodded as the pair walked inside the gate, continuing to guard the village from the environment outside them. They were met with rows of cabins and other buildings made of spruce and cobblestone. An enormous bonfire in the middle appeared to be the cause of the warmth they’d felt. “There's an abandoned barn down the main road a bit. Might be our best bet.” David and Alexis both jumped slightly at the sudden reappearance of Corey, who stood nonchalantly beside them. 

“How the hell did you- Nevermind, you wouldn’t answer anyway. Lead the way I guess.” David waved his hand dismissively, waiting for the other to move. Corey seemed slightly hurt at the others harsh tone but he obliged, walking them down the snow covered path. As a distraction from the tensions of the other two, Alexis silently admired each of the cabins they passed, they reminded her of home. She missed it dearly, but she had yet to truly regret leaving, even during their current situation.

-

The door of the old barn groaned as Corey forced it closed. “Do either of you know how to start a fire?” He asked the other two after he succeeded. “What, you don’t?” David inquired with an accusatory tone, Corey responded with an eyeroll, “Of course I do. I need to check for monsters. You both are kind of defenseless right now.” He crossed his arms, still awaiting an answer. “I do.” Alexis responded quickly, before they could continue their bickering. “Great, I'll be back soon.” Corey gave her a curt nod before walking out of their sight.

“I hate him so much, who the hell just… KIDNAPS two people?! For what? I swear I just want to punch his nose in. And just… just…” David cursed quietly and kicked one of the poles supporting the barn. Alexis sighed and continued creating a fire, opting to reply only once it was finished. “Look, I don’t trust him at all either, but I don’t think violence always needs to be the answer. This entire situation is really weird and I'm just as confused, but we can’t just resort to hurting him.” She tried to explain calmly, keeping her voice down. “Bullshit! He seems to think violence is a good way to get us to do what he wants, why can’t we have an eye for an eye, huh? He’s a fucking asshole.” David almost screamed, Alexis’ eyes widened and drifted from sharing David’s eye contact to slightly above his head. “Uh, behind you.”

David turned around slowly and was met with Corey staring down at him, he awaited for the other to snap, assuming he just heard everything that was said. It was an intense few seconds until Corey let his shoulders fall, “You’re right…” His eyes drifted away from the pair, “Sit down please, I… I think… you guys deserve an explanation.” David moved to the other side of the fire, sitting next to Alexis. Corey sat down as well, taking a few seconds to hold his head in his hands and think about what he was about to say.

“I suppose I should start with an apology, I know I’ve been a complete dick to both of you. I wish I could give a better one, but all I can say is I'm sorry. You can choose to ignore it, you have every right to.” He looked down into the fire, half expecting David to start yelling about how his words fell on deaf ears, and forgiveness is far from his grasp, but it never came. David wanted to, but with the hope Corey was finally explaining everything to them, he kept quiet. “It’s been a while since I've had someone to be friendly to. So I hope you can understand when I say I've forgotten how to show that warmth.” He trailed off a bit, seemingly thinking of where to go next.

“How long?” Alexis asked thoughtfully while maintaining eye contact with the other. Corey seemed surprised at the interest, but knew better than to keep pushing their questions away, “It’s been a year… since…” He took a deep breath, “His name was Chris, I met him in Haakath. The same way I met you two actually.” Alexis was wary at him being spoken about in the past tense, she knew this story wouldn’t end well. “He was a lot more trustworthy than you two, talkative too. He’d always come up with these stupid stories and jokes.” He chuckled humorlessly, the backs of his eyes stinging with the threat of tears, “Chris was the first person I'd met in years that I could truly call a friend. He was just… so happy. It was as if any stress the world tried to put on him was met with the resistance of his smile alone. I didn’t think i’d ever see him not grinning from ear to ear, on top of the world.” He paused, trying and failing to hold back tears as he spoke, “I- I wasn’t fast enough. I couldn’t get to him in time…” His voice broke and he cleared his throat, “A skeleton shot him off the edge of a cliff, I could only break his fall so much… he died in my arms later that night.” Corey wiped the tears off his face, attempting to calm down so he could continue to answer the rest of their questions without being hysterical.

He breathed a short, “heh” before looking back up at the two, “Apologies, you’re the only people I’ve ever spoken to about it.” Alexis frowned, “I'm sorry that happened… I’m sure he was wonderful.” Corey responded with a small smile, “Don’t be, the last thing I deserve is sympathy.” Before she could continue he looked between the two, “Anyway, this is your chance. Ill answer your questions now.” David looked for any hint that could show he was lying, Corey’s tear-stained face and serious expression looked back at him. 

“I have a few. Why did you suddenly choose to be a part of our group? What are you? And how the hell did we go from a forest to a mountain range in a matter of seconds?” David asked in an aggressive tone. 

Corey took a few moments to respond, “I’m warning you right now, it is a very long story, and it is not a simple one. All I ask is you let me finish before asking extra questions or comments, is that fair?” He awaited their answer before going on. After receiving a nod he finally spoke.

“The first humans that roamed the world were originally regarded the same as any other creatures were. Simply existing, really the only unique quality being their sentience. However, these people were explorers, they were the pioneers if you will. They wrote books and sang songs about the lands they travelled and the animals they met. As such, in the beginning, things were fine.” Corey inhaled deeply, 

“But of course, you cannot have good without bad, and with their satisfaction came a hunger. A hunger for more power, land, wealth, and everything in between. Many of these more decent people took notice of how this hunger would only lead to negative outcomes, and opted to create cities and towns as safe havens for those who felt the same. Meanwhile, those who didn’t, created a group… I believe you humans call them ‘cults’ nowadays, and ventured into the final dimension, The End. There they created their own cities, some reaching up so far into the sky the void seemed to consume it. They challenged the gods, existing in an otherwise uninhabitable realm and creating a way to defy our mortal laws.” His hand curled into a fist at his side.

“I was born into one of these cults, it didn’t take long till I realized where playing god would lead us. The others seemed blind to it but it was all too real to me. I watched as years went by and one by one the populations of our cities changed. Their bodies would shift into these dark monsters before they’d disappear. I didn’t know what was happening but I knew it wasn’t right.” He moved his gaze from the fire to his feet.

“The details of what exactly happened that night are fuzzy, someone said or did something and it sent me over the edge. While the others were sleeping I took dynamite and set one of the cities ablaze. None of them survived. After the place collapsed I was a bit lost on what to do, but I remembered them telling me about the waypoints, the only way out of the End. I began my search and eventually found what I was looking for.” 

Corey paused for a few moments, “I met the god of the End after travelling through the waypoint. She told me how she was the guardian of the dimension and had cursed us after we mocked her fellow gods and goddesses. We were doomed to an eternal fate to suffer at her hand, becoming the first of what you call ‘enders’. Our sentience and bodies slowly taken from us as we continued our onslaught… but, she offered me something that day. She stated the path I chose to take in going against them had not been the right one, but it wasn’t completely unjust. In order to prove my humanity and keep the curse from consuming me I had to come here and save ten souls. The goddess gave me the ability to mark these souls and see to it that they met a happy fate, giving me only one chance to fail... Chris would’ve been my ninth soul.” He looked back up at the other two in seriousness.

“The reason I… suddenly... shoved myself into your group is because you are my last two souls. I’ve been doing this for so fucking long now. I figure at this point either you end up injured and I end up damned, or you end up unscathed and I… well, I don’t know what's left for me.” The group was silent for a while, taking in everything just said to them. “You said you have to mark the souls, so I’m assuming you have to us. Is death the only thing that breaks it?” Alexis was the first to ask a question, David very clearly stuck in his thoughts. “No, it can be broken manually. If I intentionally harm one of you or if you state you do not wish for my presence. It will automatically shatter if our physical forms grow far enough away from each other.” 

David quirked an eyebrow, “And why are you being so open with us now? I mean we can just ‘doom you to your eternal fate’ right now if we wanted to.” Corey chuckled and looked at David with a grin, “I’ve been doing this for hundreds… hell! Probably thousands of years at this point. I’ve run out of fucks to give, I either live on, alone, or be swallowed by the same curse the rest of my people have. All I ask is I at least get to tell my story before you make that decision.” As he spoke his smile faded and he looked tiredly past the pair.

David hummed in acknowledgement, “Okay… what are you then?” Corey narrowed his eyes and moved his gaze upwards towards the ceiling, “Depends on who you ask, really. We aren’t exactly given a page in the history books.” He sat up straighter before leaning against the pillar behind him, “Had you been around to ask the more prideful of my people they would’ve called themselves the oracles, gods even. If you’re asking me… well, I’m really no less of a monster than they were. If you could’ve asked me all those years ago, maybe I could’ve replied with ‘a person! Just like you’.” Corey stopped again, “I don’t think I deserve a formal name for what I am. I either survive as a monster or become an Ender, it’s a weird middle ground between human and not.” He twisted his hands in a circle to accentuate his point.

Alexis turned her head to look at David, who copied the action soon after. She nodded across the fire while keeping eye contact with her friend. David tilted his head, asking a silent ‘what?’ Alexis sighed and cleared her throat, grabbing the attention of their new companion. After making eye contact with Corey she spoke, “So how can we help break your curse?” David’s jaw dropped beside her, he was about to voice his unwillingness before Alexis slapped his arm with a cold glare. David tried to copy the facial expression but Alexis returned her gaze to Corey. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, “You… want to help me? What happened to the whole,” He gestured his arms around the air, “Y’know… banishing me to the void or whatever.” His face only showed confusion as David grabbed Alexis’ shoulder and the two exchanged hushed whispers.

Corey heard a sigh of defeat from David before his question was finally answered. “Well, our journey has never really had an end goal so that would definitely make the whole ‘walking around in fields for five hours because your tracker sucks’ a lot more interesting. Plus, you’ve just told us basically your life story, and I think your actions are justified for the most part.” Alexis shoved David, urging him to voice his point of view, “I, for one, still think you’re a massive prick.” Before Alexis could attack him for his response he continued, “But, I know what it’s like losing people and feeling as if there’s no help to be had. Plus, we’re not heartless, like I said, the most I want to do is beat you to a pulp, not kill you. Er, banish, I suppose.” Corey’s eyes seemed to light up even more in the dark with the hope that returned to him.

“I do have a couple more minor questions though. What was that whole… warping feeling that happened before we showed up here?” Corey sat up a bit straighter now that he knew he was safe, “Well I’m not completely an Ender, but I’m not far from it either. I teleported us away from the forest, I heard at least five creepers headed our way. The first time is always a bit rough, sorry about that.” He turned his expression to be more serious, “However, my goggles are broken now, which is dangerous.” As if he had to prove his point he removed them from his head, the left lens being almost completely gone, “They used to function as protection to others from myself, but now that I can’t use them anymore I need you to promise me one thing.” David and Alexis exchanged a glance before nodding in agreement, “If my eyes ever seem weird or wrong, do not look at them. I don’t care if they just seem to be a lighter blue than usual, I can’t control when they take over so as a precaution just avoid them, yeah?” Alexis blinked a few times before questioning, “Why?” Corey scoffed playfully, “I’m beginning to think you’re still quite clueless of the world. Have you ever looked an Ender in the eye? Or seen someone else do so and live to describe what it looked like?” He waited a few moments and Alexis muttered an “Ohh… right.”

The room had gone quiet, only the sounds of the fire crackling when, without warning, David jumped up with a shout that caused the other two to jump, “Wait a minute! You said if you intentionally harm us your mark would be broken! Does that mean all these threats you’ve been handing out have been just… FAKE?!” Corey’s response was a smug grin, “Maybe. Not my fault you two are beyond stubborn.” He gave a casual shrug, seemingly uncaring of his anger. “I swear to god I’m gonna rip your arms off!” David yelled before sprinting at the other.

Alexis watched from the fire as the two ran around shouting profanities at each other, neither truly angry. She let a content sigh escape her lips, happy that the tension seemed to fall, at least a little bit.

-

Alexis woke up surprisingly warm considering she had forgotten to put her coat back on and their fire had been reduced to embers. A small sliver of light shone through the opened barn door, meaning someone had exited or entered the building. Sitting up from the ground, she turned her head to see that the warmth was coming from David, who was snoring softly in his sleep. She shook his arm gently, adding more fervor when he refused to wake up. After a few moments David sat up with a groan, “What do you want?” Alexis rolled her eyes and motioned to the door, “It’s daytime idiot. You can’t just sleep it away.” He glared at his friend, feigning anger, “Why not? Sounds fine to me.”

Their conversation was interrupted at the sound of the door opening fully. Corey walked in a few seconds after, “Oh good, you’re awake. I went to the village blacksmith and got us some gear.” He walked back outside for a few moments and returned dragging in a cloth bag, quickly flipping it to empty the contents. From where they were still sat they could make out what appeared to be several tools and a few bits of armor. Corey began sorting the items, putting them into two respective piles.

“Alright, you can pick whichever you’d like. I made sure they were somewhat equal.” Corey leaned onto one of the poles of the barn, waiting for them to choose. Alexis was the first to stand up and walk over to the items. On one side laid a set of chainmail armor and shield, with an iron pickaxe and sword. On the other, a set of iron armor and matching tools. “How’d you get all this?” David asked from behind Alexis, stretching his arms above his head. “I used a good bit of the emeralds I had, not having to pay for a place to stay means I really only have to use them on food and the like.” The pair spent a few minutes discussing who would get what armor, settling on Alexis taking the chainmail and David trading his worn iron armor for the new set.

“I bought some other supplies as well, I assume we’re leaving and headed for the next village?” Corey peered up at the other two while fixing the glove on his hand. “Sounds good to me.” Alexis was the first to walk out of the barn, pulling out a map from her bag. “Looks like the nearest town is a two day walk from here.” She pointed to one of the village markings on the worn paper. David tapped Corey’s shoulder, grabbing his attention. “Can’t you teleport us there?” Almost immediately Corey shook his head, “It’s very dangerous, I can’t control my eyes and too much makes me pass out. I only use it for emergencies.” David shrugged and motioned for Alexis to lead the way, and the three were off again, albeit this time the silence was replaced with friendly chatter and the tension had thankfully left, for now.

-

It was their second day of travelling, the sun was at its highest point in the sky. They had made their way into a field of flowers, seeing a few bees along the way. After the field, all they had left to cross was a forest and river before being in the village.

“How well trained are you both in combat?” Corey let his hands graze a few of the taller flowers as he spoke. “Well, I was a knight, so I can only assume decently. Alexis is… not the greatest.” She shouted back a “Hey!” in fake anger. Corey hummed and stopped in front of the pair. “Want to practice? We’re not too far from the village.” Alexis’ eyes widened slightly, “I mean… we can. I feel like I’m just going to embarrass myself though…” She trailed off, looking up at the other. “Hey, nobody is born being a master at combat. I’ve been to this village before, they have a pillager problem, better safe than sorry if we’re attacked.”

Corey motioned for Alexis to take out her sword, waiting patiently as she struggled with the new weapon. “They’re a bit heavy, takes some getting used to. Have you ever fought anything? Animals, mobs, people even?” Alexis looked over at David, who was holding back a laugh, “Well… I killed a spider once.” David burst into laughter, seemingly in remembrance of something. Corey looked from him to Alexis, waiting for her to explain. “I uh… kind of… set it on fire. In the daytime.” He nodded in understanding, “I see, so it wasn’t even attacking you?” When his question was met with silence he assumed it was correct. 

“Well then. Let’s try this, I won’t use my sword till you’re ready. For now just try to hit me.” Corey stood still and waited for Alexis to make the first move. After taking a moment to process his words she readied the sword and swung. It hit the dirt with a thud, getting caught in the mud. “A decent first try, you took too long in the reel, so I had time to move out of the way. Also, don’t close your eyes, for obvious reasons.” Alexis nodded and chuckled nervously, “I’m so bad at this. I’m probably a lost cause.” Corey patted her shoulder, “Believe me when I say, i’ve seen worse. You have an overall good grip on the sword and aside from you taking too long to prepare it, the swing was fair.” She gave him a thankful smile, “You’re far from good though.” He grinned while Alexis' expression turned into one of betrayal.

-

A couple hours of practice later and the group was back to walking towards the village. Alexis still had a lot to learn but she could now at the very least defend herself with more than potions. She had eventually managed to cut Corey a couple times on the shoulder, which he insisted only showed she was improving and he didn't mind at all.

Despite her not wanting to have hurt the other, she couldn’t deny that she was proud. After David had tried and failed to help her she assumed it wasn’t possible. So when she’d been successful in a hit or block, it was a welcomed shock.

“Showoff” David shook his head at the other, “Oh look at me I’m so good at fighting things.” He continued mocking Corey who only stared at him, annoyed. “What, you wanna fight?” David’s head almost snapped with the force he used in turning it towards the other. “Bet! I’m always down to beat your ass.”

-

The sun had started it’s descent by the time they made it to the gate. They noticed a couple oddities, the village was silent except for the occasional yell, and there wasn’t a golem guarding the gate. “Somethings wrong, get ready.” Corey was the first to walk into the gates of the village, his sword at the ready. David and Alexis followed close behind.

Upon rounding one of the corners the group discovered where the shouting was coming from. A raid had occurred and pillagers surrounded the remaining villagers, effectively blocking their escape. From their hidden position they could make out bits and pieces of what was happening, hearing the pillagers demanding for any and all goods the villagers had or they’d kill them. Corey whispered for the other two to be ready to fight while he maneuvered around the house.

David and Alexis watched the group for a few moments before Corey returned to their line of sight. He held up a hand with three fingers, counting down to zero. After putting his hand down a shot from a crossbow could be heard, before the raid leader toppled over. The villagers and remaining pillagers both turned towards the shot, but only saw a blur as Corey advanced, killing another pillager. Alexis and David both joined him, a bolt narrowly missing Alexis’ shoulder as she fought her way through the crowd.

Seeing as their leader was dead, the pillagers that hadn’t died retreated into the surrounding forests. The three of them recouped and checked for any major injuries, David had been nicked by a stray arrow, nothing a bit of gauze wouldn’t fix.

The villagers ran up to the trio and began thanking them, cheering loudly in their honor. Before they knew it they were being offered gifts, from food to ores and even a few enchanted books. They politely declined them, “You should really keep your things. We just saved you from losing them.” Alexis insisted and pushed a mending book back towards one of the villagers.

“You three appear to have quite a bond, are you on a journey perhaps?” An older librarian walked up to them after the rest of the crowd dispersed. “Sort of, we’re really just travelling around.” David replied, the other two nodded in agreement. “Have you ever heard of Caitir? An ancient relic said to be able to grant any wish it’s given.” Corey tensed up behind the other two, but they didn’t seem to notice, too focused on the story. “It’s said that it was lost long ago in the End, and one day a group of three adventurers would find it and use it in order to save what is most precious to them.” David’s eyes seemed to light up with hope, while Corey’s darkened with something sinister. “That’s very interesting actually. Thank you for telling us! Do you know anything more?” Alexis sounded as friendly as possible. “The tale is quite old and uncommon, but I could give you the scroll if you’d like?” The librarian offered and she nodded, quickly following him to his library.

David followed along quickly as well, wanting to hear more. Corey stood still where he was, not at all liking where this was heading. He must’ve been deep in thought, as he didn’t realize how much time had passed and before he knew it, his two companions had returned with wide grins and a rolled piece of paper. 

“Our journey finally has an end goal! And you know how to get us there!” Alexis said excitedly. David was also ecstatic but he hid it in favor of smiling. 

“Who said I’m taking you to the End?”


	5. We Need To Go Deeper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Do you both trust me?” He was met with two confused looks, “What?” Alexis asked incredulously. “Good!” He grabbed both of their wrists and slowly fell backwards down the chasm, taking them with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again this was not proofread, sorry

The smiles previously plastered on the pair’s faces had fallen at the accusatory tone of Corey’s words.

“What do you mean? Don’t you know how to get there?” Alexis’ shoulders sagged as her hopes faded, similarly, David began to feel frustration once again creep up on him. “Of course I know how to get there, but it’s beyond dangerous. My entire purpose of being here is to keep you two alive and a trip like that is the worst way to go about it.” His mind began to wander to all those years he spent rotting away in the End. Vivid depictions of the torture he was put through and the creature he was meant to become were all that occupied his thoughts.

“Didn’t you say the End Goddess is who cursed you? Maybe you could… I dunno… speak to her if we go there? Maybe she’ll cut you some slack!” The growing anger was prominent in David’s tone as he spoke, using his hands to emphasize his point. Corey went quiet for a moment, surprisingly in thought of the premonition, before shaking his head. “I don’t have all my souls yet, she might just decide I’m not worth her trouble.” He turned his gaze downwards at the pair, “Why do you two seem so enthralled by this idea? As far as I’m concerned you’re terrified of a serious adventure!” At the mention he pointed towards Alexis, who’s expression shifted from offended and back to calm. The others' heads slowly turned towards the final member of their trio, “You want something from it.” Corey sneered at David.

David’s face fell at the finality the statement held, “You don’t know that.” He tried feebly. Corey crossed his arms on his chest. “So, what is it you want from Caitir?” His face held no emotion while waiting for his answer. David knew they wouldn’t get anywhere if he refused to answer. Holding his face in his palms he spoke, “Well, I always had this goal in the back of my mind to return home and save my kingdom. I was exiled after our King went mad, but I still hoped that I could go back and save it one day.” He looked back up, watching as Corey appeared to study his face before directing his attention to Alexis. 

“And where did your change of heart come from?” Corey raised an eyebrow. Alexis seemed to brighten up at his question, assuming that he’d decided to think about it instead of outright denying their idea. “Honestly? I don’t really care about Caitir. But it’s about this story, think about it! We could be a part of this ancient prophecy and we’re just going to ignore it? I can’t imagine just heading back home to my bakery now that this is a possibility.” When she was not met with a quick response she added, “I’m also not helpless now, we just took down a whole raid on our own! That’s not something just anyone can do.” Every ounce of confidence she could produce was put into her response, trying to express her readiness for the challenge.

Minutes went by as the pair anticipated the answer. A mixture of fear and excitement creating a weird atmosphere that was only broken as Corey sighed in defeat. “I swear you two are the worst possible choices I could’ve picked for this.” He held up his hands, “But, I know I’d never hear the end of it if I declined and I know even if I did you’d both find a way to do it yourselves, which is arguably worse.” Corey pocketed his hands as he finished. The other two clearly being relieved at his response, Alexis going so far as to hug him, almost toppling him over. 

“The journey to the End is far from simple and straightforward. I trust that you guys have decent common sense and know how to not die, but if anything happens to me please just get away as fast as you can. None of that taking a bullet shit, yeah? I’d rather I die than have one of you dead, another mortified, and me damned.” Corey looked down towards the others, one still wrapped around his waist. “I wouldn’t dream of it, if anything the bullet is coming from me.” David shoved him playfully, clearly joking. 

“Alright. We’re gonna need a cave.”

-

An inky blackness was all Alexis or David could see in the ravine they’d found. Where the sun was able to get through the pair could make out bits and pieces of the ground thousands of feet below them. Corey, on the other hand, could see the bottom perfectly fine. While the curse was a direct threat to his sentience, it did offer some helpful perks. He cleared his throat and waited for his companions' attention. Once it was received he gave them a sly grin, “Do you both trust me?” He was met with two confused looks, “What?” Alexis asked incredulously. “Good!” He grabbed both of their wrists and slowly fell backwards down the chasm, taking them with him.

The pair both screamed as they fell down the ravine, memories of the first time this happened running through David’s mind. In its entirety, the fall was too short for either to fully realize what was happening before being submerged underwater. Standing up from the shallow pool, it took a few seconds for either of their brains to process what had occurred. “What the… we’re alive?” David muttered aloud, almost dumbfounded. Corey laughed at their shared confusion, “Of course! Now c’mon, there’s a lava pool here. In order to get to the End we need blaze rods.” Another moment passed before either responded, Corey already walking towards the warm glow of the pool. “Are we going to the Nether?” Alexis asked, wide-eyed. Corey only responded with a curt nod before turning back towards the lava, creating the first bits of obsidian for the portal. David squeezed the water from his clothes as best as he could before heading towards the half ender, leaving Alexis by herself several meters away.

A strange hissing sound snapped Alexis’ attention towards the caves that ran deeper into the earth; their emptiness providing anything but comfort from what the sound could be. She was about to alert the others when she thought otherwise. After all, she could defend herself now, who’s to say she can’t investigate it herself?

At that, she walked slowly towards the cave, the hissing growing only slightly closer. Upon reaching the mouth of the cave she peered her head further into the void. A light could be seen far down in the cavern, however the hissing seemed to be coming from the darkness before it. Part of her wanted to run back towards the other two, knowing very well that was the smarter option. However, another side said this could be her chance to prove her bravery to the other two. With a deep breath, Alexis took a step forward.

The hissing only got louder as she made her way slowly through the pitch-black cave. All at once the noise stopped, and the cavern was quieter than silent. Alexis froze in fear, getting ready to run back towards the entrance. However, before she could even blink there was a sticky substance that grabbed her legs, tripping her. She caught only a set of eight red eyes before she was dragged down the tunnel, consciousness slipping from her as her head crashed against the rough floor.

-

“Alright, we have a full portal here. Just need to light it and we’re good to go.” Corey dusted bits of ash from his pants and stood up. David nodded his head and turned around to where he’d left their friend. Upon seeing an empty ravine, slight panic began to set in. “Where’s Alexis?” He kept his head turned the other way and Corey followed his gaze. “I dunno, did she walk somewhere?” The water splashed as Corey trudged through it, looking around the area. David followed suit and called her name a couple times. When they were met with no response, their hearts began racing. 

Before they could come up with a plan of action, a distant sound caught their attention. At first, neither were sure what exactly it was and turned their heads towards the cavern it came from. Upon hearing it for the second time, both men bolted down the tunnel. The noise very clearly being a cry for help from their friend.

-

Alexis screamed for as long as she could, the spiders quickly encasing her in a thick webbing. Terrified didn’t come close to the emotions running through her. Unable to grab her sword, dagger, or anything that could help her meant it was only a matter of time before she’d be trapped. Nobody would know what happened to her, and nobody would be able to save her. These thoughts only fueled her already burning lungs, stray tears escaping down her cheeks.

The spiders seemed unbothered by her cries and kept at their work. It wasn’t long before she was completely buried in the webbing, still attempting vainly to escape. Before the creature could do anything more, a loud clatter turned its attention away, and it scuttled away. 

A familiar diamond sword made quick work of the webbing surrounding their friend and as soon as she could move Alexis darted out of the substance. As soon as she saw the familiar blue shirt she clung to it, David doing his best to comfort his friend. 

Corey turned towards the two and in a hushed whisper spoke to them, “I know that was terrifying and all, but please be quiet. We’ll attract more if we’re loud.” David nodded and Alexis reduced her cries to soft whimpers. After a couple moments Corey motioned with his hand for the other two to follow him, “We need to go before it gets back.” He began walking back towards the ravine, the other two following close behind.

The trio had gotten close to reaching safety when a deafening hiss left them scrambling for escape. The sound of four pairs of legs quickly catching up to them. Before the spider could get close enough to take another victim, the three of them emerged into the sunlit ravine. The monster retreated back into the void, preferring it's dark home. They all took a few minutes to catch their breath and make sure nobody was seriously injured.

“What the hell happened?” David grabbed Alexis’ shoulder, a look of worry and confusion evident on his face. “I… I thought if I took down the spider you guys would see I’m not useless.” She looked guiltily down at her hands. Alexis already knew it had been a stupid decision, but hearing it from her friends made it feel a lot worse. David stuttered in an attempt to bring his racing thoughts together. “You’re far from useless Alexis, and putting yourself in near-death situations is only going to worry us, regardless of if we think you can defend yourself or not.” Corey offered a smile to the other, “Now come on, we have a Nether to travel through. Plus, there’s no spiders in there!” Alexis chuckled softly, thankful that she was forgiven. David offered her a hand to stand up and she took it gratefully before walking towards Corey.

A clicking noise filled the ravine as Corey drove a flint and steel together, attempting to create a fire and light the portal. It was a couple more seconds before the obsidian frame roared to life. Several shades of purple lit the area around them as even more swirled inside of the obsidian. It was a new sight to both David and Alexis, which was made obvious by their mesmerized stares towards the portal. Along with the purple glow, a faint humming was also created, occasionally crescendoing into something more. 

Corey allowed them a few moments to admire the Nether Portal before he waved a hand in front of their gaze, effectively distracting them. “I know it’s cool and all, but this Nether trip is going to cost us a few overworld days at least, it’d probably be best if we go.” The pair’s demeanor suddenly changed from intrigued to worried, “A few days? Is it safe to go in?” Corey scoffed, already knowing they weren’t going to like his answer. 

“Not at all, but you’re the ones who wanted to go to the End.” Without another word, Corey disappeared into the purple mist.

-

Walking through the Nether portal felt similar to when Corey teleported them, only it took a bit longer and wasn’t nearly as painful. The first thing they both noticed upon reaching the other side is that it was surprisingly cool and dark. Corey stood a few feet away, peering out from the area they’d spawned in.

“Well shit. I hope you’re both good at climbing. Of course we had to spawn in a delta.” He sighed heavily before moving outside the small tunnel they were in. “Watch your step, the blackstone is prone to falling.” Corey continued walking forward, it wasn’t long before the three found themselves having to jump and crawl through the rough terrain of the biome. The enormous towers of basalt seemed to mock them while magma cubes bounced in the distance.

“Isn’t the Nether supposed to be a barren, lava-filled landscape? What the hell is this?” David sounded exasperated, having not expected this. Corey didn’t face David in order to answer him, opting to keep his gaze forward to avoid tripping. “This is a basalt delta, you’re thinking of the nether wastes. There's probably plenty of lava below us.” Alexis started to cough as ash fell from the ceiling, not thinking about the echoes it caused.

It felt like hours of slowly making their way through the landscape before Corey stopped at the edge of a cliff. Through the thin layer of fog the other two could make out what appeared to be a red cliff opposite to them. “Well, we need to get across this somehow. Across the way there is a Nether Waste and it’s our best bet to finding a fortress.” David peered over the edge and was met with a vast expanse of lava, which he could see no end to.

The sounds of a magma cube leaping could be heard in the distance and Corey turned towards his friends, grabbing a pickaxe from behind him. “Well, looks like we’re building a bridge.”


	6. Into Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I hate the Nether already.” “Don’t worry, It only gets worse.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW for this chapter : Graphic depictions of wounds, Eye Injury, Infections.

While Corey busied himself mining away some netherrack for a bridge, Alexis and David took an opportunity to take in the Nether they could see beyond the basalt delta. In the distance a forest of crimson trees was barely visible and what looked like a dark structure jutted out against the red landscape. 

Alexis took a moment to look below them, seeing the same vast expanse of lava David had. However, she swore there was something in the lava, and it was moving through it. She didn’t get a chance to take a better look as Corey returned with the netherrack. He gestured for the other two to move and began constructing a thin bridge, heading towards the wastes on the other side. Thankfully, it wasn’t terribly far and he turned around to wait for his friends.

“Make sure to go one at a time, burning in lava isn't a pleasant way to go.” David rolled his eyes, conveying a silent ‘no shit’ and nodded his head towards Alexis and then the bridge. With shaky steps she made her way across, not daring a glance down at the lava below her. David followed soon after and thankfully made it safely across. 

“Alright, we should do our best to remember where we come from, hopefully there’s a fortress nearby so we don’t have to go too far.” Corey began walking through the wastes, the other pair following closely behind. “What exactly are we looking for?” Alexis wiped beads of sweat off of her forehead, removing her cape and placing it in her bag. “In order to find and open the End Portal we need eyes of ender, which can only be made with ender pearls and blaze powder. We’re looking for a fortress, as that’s the only place blaze spawn. It’s a tall structure made of dark red bricks, you can’t miss it.” Alexis hummed thoughtfully and looked out over the landscape. 

No matter how hard Alexis tried to avoid it, the red forests not far from them seemed to hold her attention. She supposed it was because she was a cleric after all, and the towering fungi-like trees were like nothing she’d seen before. Because he was walking right next to her, David took notice of her captive gaze. Giving Corey a quick tap on the shoulder he asked, “What are those trees?” Corey looked from David to where he was pointing, the question having caught Alexis’ attention as well. “I believe they’re fungi. I’d rather not go into the crimson forests, too many hoglins and piglins, unless there’s for sure a fortress in there.” Unbeknownst to Corey, Alexis’ shoulders sagged a little as she had hoped to get a closer look at the anomalies. David fell back into step with the other and gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder. 

The quiet that had settled over the group was interrupted with a piercing scream from Alexis as she had stumbled into a pigman. She was seconds away from attacking the creature when her sword was grabbed by a familiar gloved hand, “I’d advise not to hit them. They’re passive unless attacked.” With the few moments she had to assess the situation she realized that the pigman was, in fact, not killing them. In reality, it stared at them blankly before walking off with a snort. Alexis gasped out a breath and groaned into her palms, “I hate the Nether already.” Corey chuckled, “Don’t worry, It only gets worse.” 

-

“These wastes feel like they go on forever.” David groaned. The trio had been walking for what could’ve been hours, it was hard to tell without a sky or clocks. Since they’d started the journey the most dangerous encounter they’d had was with a stray piglin.

Corey had been the first to talk in a while, “So, I told you guys about myself. What about you two?” He continued walking, his attention both on the environment and his companions. “You’re asking now?” David quirked an eyebrow. “I am.” Corey flashed him a sharp smile and waited for one of them to answer. Seeing as David was still uncertain, Alexis decided to go first.

She explained how she owned a bakery that was back in a small village, the same place she’d met David. Surprisingly, her face remained almost neutral as she told the story of how her hometown had been raided by pillagers. Alexis’ mother had instructed her to take her brother and run to a neighboring town not far away. Without more than a couple pauses and a sad gaze she recalls how her father had been one of the pillagers, and used her mother to betray the village. “My brother still lives in the same town David met me in, he’s a sort of adventurer, he gets paid to find certain items and such.” With that, her story was finished. “I’m sorry about your family.” Alexis smiled thoughtfully at the comment, “It’s okay, this was years ago, no need to cry about it now.” She looked expectantly at David, as it was now his turn to speak.  
“I’m a knight, what more is there to know?” He tried to make it obvious he didn’t want to speak about his past. “I’m sure there’s plenty. I know you didn’t spawn in as a royal guard for one of the biggest kingdoms in our world.” David would’ve paused if the heat of the Nether didn’t drive him to keep moving, “How the hell do you know that? I swear you're omniscient or something.” Corey scoffed, “I wish, but no, you just aren’t very good at hiding the emblem on your arm.” Alexis gasped suddenly with a joyful shout, “That’s what that is! I’ve been trying to figure it out for so long.” She took a chance to glance at David’s forearm where there was indeed a tattooed symbol of his king. 

Upon realizing there was no hiding it anymore David began his story, stating that he became a royal guard in order to escape the life he lived beforehand. He used to be in a sort of gang, one where the members would commit crimes in exchange for goods or services. At one point he had been asked to take a hitman job, and declined. However, the others saw this as him betraying them and promptly ran him out of his home. “So basically I’ve been kicked out by people higher up than me twice. Fun.” His tone was sarcastic but it was clear he had never really told anyone before.

For once, the other two had been too distracted to realize what was happening. An eerie cry was heard to their left before it was accompanied by a deafening screech. Alexis reacted on instinct and did the only thing she could think to do, hit the blazing fireball that had just been shot at them. Before the three knew it, the enormous ghast was falling into the lava below, it’s corpse sinking out of sight. “See! You’re not useless. You just saved us from a ghast, Alexis.” She was still too exasperated to truly take in his words and simply nodded, continuing forward.

-

Their jackets had long since been taken off and David rolled his sleeves up as far as he could. The pair knew the Nether was going to be hot, but they’d have never guessed it to be this jarring. Neither David or Alexis realized Corey had stopped walking until they abruptly hit his back. “How many times are you going to run into me?” He asked in a joking tone before pointing upwards. The other two looking towards where his finger was directing them and seeing the enormous brick pillars that stretched upwards like hellish skyscrapers. “There’s our fortress.” 

Corey turned around to face David and Alexis, “Alright, a few things you guys need to know. Blazes shoot fire, so using your shields is going to be very important. After they fire they need a few seconds to prepare to attack again, that is the best time to go after them and get a blaze rod.” He turned to meet Alexis’ gaze directly, “Me and David will go after the blazes, I need you to keep watch for wither skeletons.” Upon receiving a confused and almost saddened look he added, “It’s not because I don’t think you can fight a blaze, but I need you to be able to defend us, blazes can be very loud and if a wither manages to sneak up on us… well, it wouldn’t be pretty.” Alexis nodded. 

“How are you still wearing gloves by the way? We’re dying of heat stroke over here for fucks sake.” Corey looked down towards his hands and back to David, “I can take them off if it makes you feel better.” It took the pair a couple seconds to realize he’d taken off the articles of clothing as his hands were almost the same shade of black his gloves were, only realizing it after seeing the small claws at his fingertips. “They’re actually quite cold if you ask me.” To accentuate his point Corey placed his hand on David’s cheek, who jolted. “You ass.” He rubbed the spot with his wrist while the other chuckled. “Anyways, we should start breaking into this fortress now. Don’t wanna wait for more ghasts to spawn.”

-

By the time the trio made their way onto the fortress, it seemingly had come to life. Pigmen could be heard roaming the halls below them and in the distance a few skeletons stood idly. At one point the fortress tunneled into the netherrack and they made their way into the cave it created. As they continued their journey what sounded like the crackling of fire and ash grew louder until they found where it was coming from. Peering around a corner, they were met with the sight of a blaze spawner. Corey nodded to Alexis who took it as her que to begin defending the small room and adjoining hallways. The other two made their way to the spawner. It wasn’t long after that Alexis heard, and saw, as her friends began fighting the blazes. Corey wasn’t lying when he said they were loud. 

Not wanting to be caught in the crossfire, Alexis decided to stay within earshot but out of sight of the spawner room. A sound similar to a rattling caught her attention and she was met with the sight of a normal skeleton. Before it could get a chance to turn around and spot her she slayed it, a few stray bones now laying on the floor. After being sure the hallway was clear, she returned to the crossroads.

David shouted abruptly as a stray fireball caught his shoulder and burned it. Corey giving him a quick look, silently asking him if he was alright. He took a deep breath and nodded, “We only need one more alright?” David got his sword ready and Corey joined him. Apparently, the spawner decided to make their final stretch a rough one as three blazes spawned in front of them. The creatures combined fireballs left both men shieldless. Now with only a matter of seconds to kill them all before they shot again, they sprinted at the monsters, slashing desperately at their shells. As soon as all three fell Corey grabbed David’s wrist and pulled him away from the room.

Alexis watched the pair as they joined her in the hallway, both panting and gasping for breath. It was a few seconds before they both calmed down enough to realize they had made it away from the spawner. The trio didn’t get a chance to celebrate that they’d gotten the blaze rods they needed before a chilling noise echoed from behind them. Alexis was the first to see what it was but Corey was the first to react. “Look out!” was shouted almost into David’s ear as he was suddenly wrapped into Corey’s arms. The feeling was fleeting as the sound of a sword hitting flesh and a sharp hiss from the other above him drove Corey to take his opportunity to strike. Quickly killing a wither skeleton that had snuck up on them. He winced in pain but from where David and Alexis stood, he was unscathed.

“Are you okay?” Alexis attempted to move Corey’s tattered cape out of the way to inspect his back, but he turned too quick for her to see. “I’m fine. We need to get out of here.” Corey didn’t give her a chance to argue as he led them out of the tunnel and back into the open.

-

As soon as their feet hit the familiar netherrack of the wastes the tension seemed to fall, at least a little. For the most part, they were safe, their only enemies to worry about now were maybe a stray ghast or piglin. David took the lead as he was usually the navigator of the group, easily remembering the path they’d taken to get here. Over time, Corey began falling behind, not exactly limping but not walking correctly either. Without realizing it the trio had made their way to the outskirts of the crimson forest and were given very little time to react as angry squeals and snorts surrounded them. A piglin charged from beyond the overgrown fungi towards David, who parried with his own sword. 

Luck wasn’t on his side today as more piglins began running out of the trees towards the group. Being just enough of a distraction for the piglin David was attacking to slice his left eye. He screamed and quickly impaled the monster, grasping the left side of his face with his free hand. “-un run RUN!” Corey and Alexis’ shared shouts brough David out of his pain-filled trance and they ran. An army of angry piglins thundering behind them.

When they reached their netherrack bridge that connected the wastes and the basalt delta, they had only a few seconds to cross it before the creatures caught up with them. Alexis had just made it across when she heard the undeniable sound of blocks being broken. David and Alexis both watched from the basalt delta as Corey mined the path away and ran, being narrowly missed by the gold swords of the piglins. They both screamed their friends name as he ran on the side opposite to them, doing their best to follow. It was obvious Corey was running out of land as David and Alexis did as well.

His pace was quickly slowing, the pain from his wound becoming only more severe. Corey was acutely aware this could be where he dies, but was willing to make the sacrifice to save his newfound friends. Despite this, he didn’t give up, even as he saw the land before him quickly wearing thin and giving way to the lava below him. This was it, he was going to jump, and lead most of the monsters behind him to their death. Using what little adrenaline he had left he quickened his pace, hearing the shouts of his name as his companions seemingly realized what he was doing. He thought about the other eight souls he had saved and the one he’d lost. 

3…

Chris was the first person to truly understand his curse and be willing to help.

2…

And it was his fault Chris was dead. The blood was on his hands alone. There had been no skeleton when he died, it was daytime.

1…

Maybe if he died he could see Chris one last time, and return the “I love you” he never got to. And whisper the apologies he wished he could give.

Corey leaped off of the cliff, the piglins being too dumb and narrow-sighted to realize, before they jumped, that it was a trap. He teleported onto the other side. The last traces of his energy worn as he fell to the ground, limp. Alexis and David rushed to their friends side, quickly taking their chance to assess the damage done to their friend. On his back laid a long sword wound, inky blood pouring from the cut as the skin around it was turning various shades of black and red before leaking bits of pus. The withering making quick work of the skin on his back.

The last thing he heard was a faint, “You’re gonna be okay.” he could’ve sworn he knew that voice, it was the voice of a friend, he thought, before he lost consciousness.


	7. How Did We Get Here?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re afraid of me. Curious, but afraid. Trustful, but afraid. It’s so… so…” The sun illuminated his hands, which were changing from loose fists to open, for a moment Alexis thought he’d just ended his sentence there before he continued. “It’s so… human.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, not beta or proofread.

_“What are you going to do once you’re free from this curse?” Chris sat next to Corey under a large oak tree, the sun rising in the distance. They’d been here for a while, simply enjoying each other's company._

_“I don’t know, It’s been so long. I’m surprised I made it this far.” He turned to look at his friend, who was already staring back at him, that kind smile still plastered to his face._

_“Well… I wouldn’t mind having you around once we break it.” Chris looked at the other thoughtfully before resting his head on Corey’s shoulder._

_He inhaled sharply but soon found himself leaning into Chris as well, enjoying the warmth he’d never shared._

_“I wouldn’t mind it either.”_

_-_

_How did they get here?_

_It was an accident, he knew it was. However, that did not deter the grief._

_He held Chris impossibly close to his chest, willing him to suddenly revive from the attack. Claw marks, HIS claw marks laid all around his body. This wasn’t meant to happen. It was Corey’s fault, he should’ve been more careful of his eyes. Now, his only friend lay dying in his grasp._

_It was the first time Corey ever cried, the tears stinging his eyes and cheeks. He muttered enough apologies and wills for Chris to stay with him that even the longest novels couldn’t compare to. His raspy voice took a couple seconds to reach him._

_“Hey, it’s okay.” Corey sat up straighter to be able to see Chris’ face and grimaced, blood gushed from his forehead and long claw marks painted his face in shades of pink and crimson. “It’s okay.” He shook his head and ran his fingers through Chris’ hair. “No, no, Chris you’re hurt and it’s my fault. This isn’t okay at all! I-” He was cut off by Chris shushing him._

_“I love you Corey, I forgive you. Please don’t beat yourself up over me.” He coughed, a bit of blood getting caught in his throat. They stared at each other for another few fleeting seconds before Chris used the last of his retreating energy to bring a hand to Corey’s cheek._

_“You should smile more, it looks good on you.” His hand fell and his eyes closed. Corey felt his chest rise and fall for the last time._

_“Chris?” His vision was lost completely as the tears obscured it. “Chris! Please don’t leave me!” He knew no response would come. Corey hugged the boy in his arms._

_“I love you too.”_

-

Four days, it had been four days since they’d escaped the Nether and found a safe place to rest. David had left the small cave they’d been using as a makeshift shelter to hunt for a while and ‘clear his thoughts.’ Alexis stayed behind, using up the last of her ingredients to refill her potions.

Corey had been unconscious since he’d teleported back to their side. His efforts not in vain as the remaining piglins decided it best to not pursue the group after losing many of their numbers. Alexis had discovered the dark blobs walking on the lava, were the same creatures she’d seen in Corey’s journal. With the help of the strider the trio were able to make their way back to the portal without having to lug around Corey on their own.

As soon as they were able to find somewhere enclosed and safe, Alexis used practically every healing potion and bandage she had on him. She never made it obvious but along with being a baker she was a skilled cleric and healer, albeit she’d never treated a wither wound before. It was maybe an hour before Alexis decided she’d done everything possible to stop the bleeding and decay, and could only wait for the outcome.

“I swear to god, when he wakes up I’m gonna kill him myself. What an idiot.” David wasn’t necessarily mad, just frustrated. “I need to go walk for a bit. I’ll bring back food if I find any.” Not long after, the cave went quiet, only the occasional crackle of the fire filling the space.

Alexis would be lying if she said she wasn’t bored. She was fairly certain her medicine and care would be enough for Corey to live, and now they were just playing a waiting game. Seemingly out of nowhere she remembered an interaction she’d had with the other, where he’d stated Alexis was free to go through his journal. Wanting to read more about the Strider and anything else that was in there, she made quick work of finding and beginning to read the tattered book.

Right as the sun was setting a familiar face made his way back into the cave, carrying a couple dead rabbits. “Figured we could have a warm meal for once.” Alexis and David got to work on setting up a pot, melting snow and making the start of a rabbit stew, or as close as they could get with what little they had. They talked quietly over the sounds of the boiling water, it was similar to how things used to be, when it was just the pair and an infinite world to explore. While they both enjoyed it, worry still plagued their thoughts. They finished the stew and decided it would be best for all of them if they got some sleep, which they’d skipped for the past couple days.

“Do you think…?” Alexis peered over towards David, who was starting to lie down, facing the back of the cave. “I mean yeah sometimes, why?” David chuckled and yawned, clearly being sarcastic. Alexis rolled her eyes, “I was going to ask if you want to… snuggle… again.” The last part was muttered but still clearly audible. “Yeah sure, come here.” David and Alexis laid down close to their unconscious friend, enough to share the warmth but not close enough to accidentally hurt his back. The subtle chatter of crickets outside and the embers from the fire lulled them into a deep sleep.

Alexis almost screamed at the sight she woke up to, however, her tiredness turned her fear into a fleeting moment of paralysis that was quickly replaced with relief. In the dark of the cave two piercing blue eyes stared at her, who she recognized as Corey. Their eyes held contact for a few seconds before Alexis spoke.

“You’re awake! How are you feeling?” She could just barely make out a subtle nod from the other, who’s eyes were still transfixed on her. Alexis couldn’t deny it was a little uncomfortable with the lack of verbal response. “Are you okay?” Again, there was no immediate response from the other as his calculating gaze scanned her face.

“You remind me of him.” Corey’s voice was raspy and dry from a lack of use and water, but Alexis still found relief in the fact he was speaking. “Who?” She tried to meet the other’s eyes again, but Corey had turned his head to avoid it. “Chris. I knew he trusted me but there was always that underlying look on his face, one that no matter how hard I tried wouldn’t leave.” Light began trickling into their cave as the sun began it’s slow rise into the sky.

“And what was it?” The answer she received was not a direct one, but got his point across. “You’re afraid of me. Curious, but afraid. Trustful, but afraid. It’s so… so…” The sun illuminated his hands, which were changing from loose fists to open, for a moment Alexis thought he’d just ended his sentence there before he continued. “It’s so… human.” His back slouched, “You’re so human. Both of you.” Upon noticing Alexis’ confusion, he continued. “I guess I just miss it you know, it’s hard to remember being anything but… this.” 

There was a rustling at Alexis’ side before David sat up. “Having a party without me?” He stretched before starting to pick up a bit of their mess. “Of course not.” Alexis began to do the same while their final member simply watched, too lost in thought to process their conversation as they packed up. It was one phrase that jolted Corey from his trance and made him go rigid. 

“If you’re feeling alright I think we should start heading to the End today, since I assume it’s decently far away.” David sat each of their respective bags down, Corey now realizing how the cave had been cleared almost entirely. “I’m feeling fine.” He didn’t try to hide the disdain in his voice at all, however, it was ignored by his friends’ excited demeanors. 

-

As soon as the trio emerged from the cave Corey began walking back towards the ravine their portal was in, which wasn’t far. 

“Hey, I already got the blaze rods man, don’t you remember.” David waved the golden stick in his hand and Corey stopped abruptly, already having thought that the blaze rods were still in his bag. He turned around slowly, eerily staring towards the other who was now a few feet away. Both pairs of icy eyes stared at each other, waiting. 

“David.” He held out a hand, “Give me the blaze rods.” They knew something was wrong, and David didn’t trust the look his eyes held. Unconsciously, he held the items closer to his chest, unwilling to give them up. Corey’s voice was almost a growl now, anger radiated off of him. “David. Give me the blaze rods.” Instead, David drew his sword defensively. 

“Why?” Corey retracted his hand but made no move to bring out a weapon, much to Alexis and David’s relief.

“We’re not going, that’s why.” There was finality in his tone as it was clearly not up for discussion. Alexis’ eyes widened while David’s anger got the better of him. “And who are you to decide that?” His eyes glared at the other, whose gaze was just as intense. 

“You two damn near died in the fucking Nether, I don’t know what I was thinking when I agreed to this stupid adventure.” His face was contorted in frustration, clearly not happy with the argument his announcement brought.

“And? Nobody said this was going to be an easy, peaceful time. In fact, you were the one who said it was far from that, and now you’re backing out? We’re halfway there! You can’t do this.” David had his sword ready in case things went south. 

“I can and I will! Give me the blaze rods, David!” Corey unconsciously made his stance more threatening, to which David and Alexis both responded to defensively.

“No.” David made sure his voice was steady and his tone indisputable.

Corey yelled and punched a nearby tree, shattering bits of the bark as his knuckle bled slightly, “Don’t you get it?! I’ve already lost Chris. I can’t lose you two as well. Going to the End is a death wish! Fuck the prophecy shit. My goal is to keep you alive, to keep my friends alive. We are not going.” He took a step towards the pair.

“Who’s to say we can’t go there ourselves, and meet you back at spawn once we get Caitir, huh?” David’s tone was accusatory, almost daring Corey to think they wouldn’t do just that.

“What makes you think you’ll survive on your own? I got you this far, you won’t last long without me. You’ll be dead in a day.” Corey’s anger subsided just slightly, no longer screaming at the pair.

“Oh yeah? Well as far as I know every friend I’ve travelled with hasn’t DIED. And that’s one more than you can claim isn’t it? You claim to be this protector but I think your loving Chris would say otherwise.” David’s voice was laced with sarcasm and frustration, not holding back at all on the other anymore. Corey’s face fell, all anger and frustration gone as old wounds began reopening, the memories bleeding back into his memory. 

“You know what? Fuck you! Get out of here! We don’t need your goddamn help!” Alexis could’ve sworn even the forest shook at the volume of David’s voice, who was breathing heavily. Corey grimaced at his words and without warning began coughing up blood, he assumed it was an effect of his mark being hit by David’s rejection. David soon calmed down and joined Alexis in simply watching the other.

Corey was doubled over in pain, coughing, for a few moments before he stood up straight again. This was the second time he’d cried, the betrayal ran cold in his blood. He laughed bittersweetly before it was replaced with a hiss of pain. “If you wanted me gone, you could’ve just said so. You didn’t have to lie.” His voice broke and cracked as he spoke. 

“Wait, no- We do want you here!” Alexis’ cries were for nothing as where their friend once stood laid vacant, the other having teleported away. 

David and Alexis stood in stunned silence, he could only stare ahead at nothing for a minute. Soon, he turned his head down to Alexis, who had tears quickly accumulating in her eyes.

“I made a mistake.” He fell to the ground, hugging his knees. Alexis being quick to comfort him.

“How did we get here?”


	8. Who Is Cutting Onions?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This felt much too similar to the closing of a story, the final conflict that makes or breaks the ending, and Alexis was determined to make sure it was a positive one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 9 will be the conclusion for book 1 :). Chapter 10 will be an epilogue and chapter 11 will be a bonus chapter with extra content and such.
> 
> This chapter was not beta'd or proofread, sorry about errors.

Dawn had long since passed by the time Alexis broke the hug she had been giving David to calm him down. The forest around them had sprung to life, filled with the sounds of birds and the wind weaving through the leaves. This only amplified the juxtaposition of the pair, who both sat with tear stains on their faces. Guilt hung heavy on David’s shoulders. He knew he’d gone too far when he mentioned Chris, and felt his heart go cold when he realized he might’ve just broken the mark and sent Corey to eternal damnation. 

He hadn’t truly meant it, his anger had just gotten the better of him. As much trouble as he gave the other, he did care about him, and considered Corey a friend. The emotions overwhelmed David and left him being unable to stand up. Alexis knew they couldn’t sit here forever though, and did her best to coax him up.

“Hey, maybe he’ll come back?” Alexis had no idea how to comfort her friend, she wasn’t even sure how she was keeping it together. Much to her despair, her words didn’t seem to help at all. Another choked sob escaped David, while he still tried desperately to hide it, causing his throat to feel sore as he held back the tears. “He was coughing up blood, Alexis. I think I broke the…” His mind was on overdrive as he tried to remember what Corey had told them about his curse, “His fucking mark or whatever. For all we know he could be an Ender right now!” His fingernails dug into his legs anxiously.

“Or, for all we know he might just be off somewhere in his thoughts. I know most people need some time alone after big arguments. You said it yourself, we’re this far, we can’t give up hope yet.” Alexis rubbed David’s back soothingly, he was still reluctant. “How about a proposition?” She looked down at the other, who peered back with glossy eyes, thoughtfully. “We’ll wait here for a few days to see if he comes back. If he doesn’t then we’ll start heading to the stronghold ourselves and maybe he’ll show up along the way. Does that sound alright?” 

David pondered it for a moment before standing up on shaky legs. There wasn’t much else they could do, since they had no way of figuring out where he went.

“Okay... “ Alexis did her best to wrap an arm around the taller’s shoulder, “Let’s go back to the cave for now, to calm down.”

-

Four days came and went with no sign of the other. David begged to stay another night, not wanting to give up and lose hope. On the dawn of what could’ve been a fifth day Alexis insisted they move. Stating they couldn’t sit here forever, and their friend knew their ultimate destination. Eventually, after a lot of arguing, they were once again on their journey. 

Unfortunately, they had only one ender pearl, and could only create one eye of ender from it. “We’ll just have to find some along the way.” Alexis tried to sound cheery, but there was little to be excited for. Everything seemed so bittersweet now, any ounce of happiness was shrouded in the uncertainty of it all, leaving a mess of emotions.

What would’ve been a quiet banter between the two, highlighted by louder shouts and barks of laughter, was silent. Neither had anything to say, and too many thoughts to put into words. An arm was wrapped around Alexis’ shoulder, David offering her a sad smile as if to say ‘I haven’t given up. I promise.’ This felt much too similar to the closing of a story, the final conflict that makes or breaks the ending, and Alexis was determined to make sure it was a positive one.

-

It was cold, colder than it had ever been. Corey was used to not feeling much, mentally or physically, but now it seemed to crawl on him. Leaving goosebumps and shivers to rack up his arms and legs. He’d seen it happen before to his people, they would slowly curl in on themselves, frigid, before the curse overtook them. Problem is, David had not broken his mark fully. Yet here he was, inching dangerously close to the edge between human and not.

It was jarring, the contrast between feeling every cold snowflake that fell on his body yet no emotion at all. For a moment, he forgot everything. For a moment, he was just a boy, freezing to death, under a tree. Without warning, everything came back. His memories of his friends and journeys, his emotions, everything that made him human returned with full force.

Thankfully, the cold seemed to recede and with a shaky gasp, Corey realized he was still here. He let himself have a moment of joy before remembering what had happened. A spiteful line of dried tears making itself known. He knew David hadn’t meant what he said, right? Surely after months of travelling together even he couldn’t be that vindictive. 

Everything spiraled down into an incomprehensible pool of thoughts. It was with an abrupt thought that Corey sprung up from where he was sitting. How long had he been gone? He could’ve sworn he saw the sun rise and set to make way for the moon multiple times while he’d been quietly freezing on the ground. Which meant his friends might’ve already presumed him gone for good.

With hushed whispers he gathered any belongings that had been scattered in the storm and returned to where he left the duo, finding their belongings gone and shelter abandoned. The mark gave him a hint to the direction they went in, which let Corey know they hadn’t made it far, but it would take him a while to catch up. He just hoped they hadn’t given up on him.

-

A soft golden glow was cast upon the plains David and Alexis walked through, the light quickly making it’s departure. It would soon be very dangerous outside, mobs threatening them from every angle without any cover in the flatland. However, it was peaceful for now, and neither wanted to take it for granted.

They held hands as they marched onwards, swinging them gently as a calm, cool breeze swept across the valley. Ever since departing that morning, the only time they’d spoken was when they needed to throw the eye and make sure they were headed the right way. 

“We need to find a safe place to stay soon, or else we’re in for it.” David broke the silence. It was the most monotone Alexis had heard his voice be and it frightened her, but she knew bringing it up would only make things worse, and they had more pressing matters to attend to. She nodded, “Any caves nearby?” looking around for any signs of an opening. 

“If there is, we shouldn’t go into them. Plains like these usually have enormous systems that go on for miles, we’ll definitely run into trouble if we venture into one.” David realized how compromising their position was, the pair were basically sitting ducks out here. Additionally, with how quickly the sun was leaving the horizon, there was no chance they’d make it to the forest in time.

Before either of them could think of a way to safety their light was gone, the world illuminated only by a spare torch Alexis held in her spare hand and the still rising moon. However, to their surprise, nothing came after them. The usual rattle of a skeleton or hiss of a creeper did not come, leaving an eerie silence. The wind whistled through the distant forest’s trees and rustled the tall grass of the plains. 

It felt wrong. On instinct, David drew his sword, Alexis following suit after gently placing her torch into the ground. The atmosphere shifted and, as if on queue, a twig snapped close to the pair. Each whipping their head around to face the origin of the sound. What they could make out to be only a tall silhouette stood several feet away, facing them. 

Much to their dismay, it walked closer, and they readied their shields. This didn’t deter the thing, as it spared only slight hesitation before continuing. 

“Hey, I don’t know who or what you are, but stay back!” Alexis mustered as much courage as she could and David added, “Yeah, fuck off you lousy monster!” This made whatever it was stop. Soon, a laugh filled the silence, one that originated from neither David or Alexis, but was familiar. A second light soon joined Alexis’ as the person illuminated their own torch. “Damn, I know it’s been a couple days but there’s no need to be so rude about it.” 

Corey stood only a few feet away from them now. At first, the pair could only stand and stare at him in disbelief. They both had long presumed him dead or taken. Much to his surprise, David was the first to move, barreling into him and gripping him into a hug so tight he couldn’t leave again. He was shocked, to say the least, and it was only amplified as Alexis joined him and soon heard them cry softly.

“I missed you guys too, but we need to get somewhere safe before getting comfortable.” A recognizable dizziness crept over the pair as they were teleported to safety, another shallow cave offering them the protection it held. Neither of them let go of the other, and he eventually gave in, sitting down with the pair in his arms to get more comfortable.

“We- we thought…” David wiped a stray tear on his cheek as he calmed down, “We thought you...” He didn’t have to finish for the other to understand. Corey responded by doing his best to comfort them, copying the actions he’d seen others do when their friends were distressed. In the morning, David would insist if they told anyone he’d kill them, but in the moment he was glad they were reunited. Alexis, on the other hand, felt the exhaustion quickly overwhelming her. The stress of the past few days taking its toll on not only her, but David as well. 

“Thank you for coming back.” was the last thing Alexis muttered before drifting off, David following shortly after. Corey let his head lull back onto the stone of the cave, “I’ll always come back.”

-

Birds chirped outside the cave as the world hummed to life. Corey felt like he’d never be able to move again, his arms and legs long since gone numb under his friend’s combined weight. However, he made an effort to not disturb them till the morning, which was now here. With any fondness he could muster he started to stand up, “C’mon shitheads, we got an End to get to.” Upon realizing the lack of his presence the pair quickly woke up with a start. 

David groaned and rubbed his eyes, opening them to see Corey offering him his bag, which he took gratefully. After securing the article around his waist he helped Alexis up. 

“So are we… you know… going to talk about what happened?” David looked at Corey, who, he realized, now had a fixed pair of goggles covering his eyes. The other sighed, “I’m sorry. It’s just… I don’t want to lose you guys. I can’t go through that pain again. Call me selfish if you want, but I care about both of you.” David nodded along, “We understand, and I’m sorry about what I said, I didn’t mean it. I was just so pissed off. But I have to ask, what happens when we get to the End? What if the goddess or whoever just kills us or something?” Corey simply shrugged.

“Can you stay here maybe? Just in case she tries anything?” Alexis offered. “Nope. The last thing you two are doing is going into another dimension on your own.” Corey crossed his arms over his chest, albeit playfully, trying to lighten the mood. 

“Your goggles, they’re…” David inspected the odd patchwork, noticing layers of leaves filling where there were previously holes. “Fixed?” Corey nodded, “I had too, my eyes won’t change back. They’ve been purple since our fight.” David winced, “Is that my fault?” to which Corey responded with a hum and yet another shrug, “Maybe! All I know is your mark isn’t broken. Which means you bitches still gotta deal with me!” He made sure his voice was laced with pride and was relieved when smiles made their way onto the pairs faces. 

“It’s nice to have you back.”

“It’s nice to be back!”

-

It took the trio a week to finally find and enter the stronghold. A week of mending broken bonds and growing closer to one another. 

They’d stumbled upon a lone wolf, which had taken a liking to David, who reminisced on wanting a dog when he was a kid. However, the nature of his jobs had made the idea impossible. After as many treats as they could spare and pets, they had reluctantly left the animal, which ventured off happily.

Alexis had gone on a rant about mushrooms, specifically about which ones were good for brewing and eating and which ones were strictly off limits and poisonous. She’d added that without her, the other two would definitely end up dying to one of them, to which David insisted he wouldn’t as he had impeccable survival skills. 

On the other hand, the pair realized that as well versed in the overworld and other dimensions as Corey seemed to be, there were still things unknown to him. Such as a piercing shriek he’d let out when he was introduced to the concept of animals that lived underwater, specifically a salmon. 

The trios relationship had solidified, they were now confident that nothing could break what they had created. 

With a loud whirr that shook the stone bricks around them, the End Portal came to life. The final eye having been placed into its spot. The trio looked around to each other one last time as the inky void in the portal stared back at them. 

“Well… see ya on the other side!” Corey gently punched David on the shoulder and vanished into the portal. Alexis following with a chuckle. David hesitated for a moment, remembering the true danger and challenge of their mission for a split second, but quickly joined his friends.

This was it. The End.


	9. Free The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David has made the advancement [Free The End]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW : This is the MCD chapter. You have been warned.
> 
> (The italicized words are all bits of the "End Poem" that can be found after finishing the game, also known as the "End Credits." :))

_What did this player dream?_

The End, a cold and unforgiving environment. Light exists, yet there is no sun. No warmth to be had. A neverending void surrounds the cracked islands that the few creatures that exist here live on. And now, after thousands of years of inactivity, it has guests.

_This player dreamed of sunlight and trees. Of fire and water. It dreamed it created. And it dreamed it destroyed. It dreamed it hunted, and was hunted. It dreamed of shelter._

It had been centuries, millenia? Corey had long since lost track of time, there was little point in counting the years anyway. However, it was exactly as he had left it. In the distance massive obsidian pillars stood stark against the dark purple sky. And that familiar silence had once again crept up on him.

Unlike the overworld, which seemed to be constantly alive with the soft hum of life, the End was void of any sound, save for the occasional enderman or crackling as the islands lost bits of rock. It was quite a shock to the other two, however. Even though knowledge of the End and the years of Corey’s time was scarce, they were still taught of it’s existence. The stories always made it out to be a dangerous and uninhabitable dimension, the only thing waiting on the other side being death. However, as David and Alexis took in the environment for the first time, the only word they could think to describe it, was lonely.

The trio stood on an obsidian platform, a thin bridge of endstone giving them access to the main island. Corey was the first to walk across it, looking back at the other two solemnly, each of them knew dying was a likely possibility, but they clung to the hope they’d all make it back. 

The obsidian pillars formed a ring around a bedrock portal in the middle, their only hope of escape. It took them only a minute to make it to the center, simply sitting in silence.

_Does it know that we love it? That the universe is kind?_

“What now?” Alexis looked up at the foreboding structures, she could just barely make out bits of light at the very top. This was the last thing she’d expected, having thought that as soon as they entered the dimension all hell would break loose. A battle of momentous proportions waiting for them just past the obsidian platform. 

Corey was about to reply when an all too familiar and foreboding sound filled the air. Each of them froze and turned towards the sound…

Wingbeats.

_Sometimes, through the noise of its thoughts, it hears the universe, yes. But there are times it is sad, in the long dream. It creates worlds that have no summer, and it shivers under a black sun, and it takes its sad creation for reality._

A visceral wind whipped around them as a massive beast made itself known, hovering just meters away from them. David and Alexis watched wide-eyed as what appeared to be a black dragon landed on the bedrock portal, kicking up rocks as it finally came to rest. Corey remained with that emotionless stare, a gaze of almost familiarity towards the creature.

It watched them, not a gaze of curiosity as any other animal would pull, but one of… knowing. It felt as though the dragon was dissecting them, easily pulling apart their thoughts and memories to lay them out onto a scroll for anyone to read. It was unsettling, to say the least. And it didn’t help when Corey seemed to take a step closer to it.

“Hello again, can you understand me?” They regarded Corey with a look of confusion, was he really trying to speak with the beast? It seemed ludicrous, until it replied.

“Of course I can.” There was an echoing hiss to its voice, oh, it made sense now. The enderdragon was the goddess that cursed Corey and his people. Alexis would’ve made a sound of understanding if it wasn’t for their terrifying situation. Upon her speaking, David seemed to come to it as well. 

“Well pardon me, last time we spoke it was in the ancient dialect.” Corey let his eyes wander from the goddesses to the portal she laid on. He cleared his throat before speaking again, “So, any chance we could get a guest pass into the end cities? Since we’re… such good friends… and all.” A nervous chuckle escaped his lips.

The Goddesses brows furrowed, causing her to look more menacing, if that was even possible. She simply studied the trio for a few moments, that gaze once again looking deep into their souls. 

“Let me guess… Caitir, right? Well…” A toothy smirk made its way onto her face, looking closer to a scowl. A short woosh sounded behind her, and a smaller portal opened. “If you want to go back there so desperately, be my guest. Though I must add… Caitir hasn’t been in an end city for a while now.” She carelessly let what appeared to be some sort of trident weave through her talons, a smile growing on her face.

_To cure it of sorrow would destroy it. The sorrow is part of its own private task. We cannot interfere._

Each of their faces fell at the realization. They were not leaving without a fight. 

“Don’t look so sad, I’m sure you’ll respawn. Maybe your next lives will be better than these. Imagine losing your family to a traitorous father.” She regarded Alexis, who went pale, how did she? “Or being driven out of the only community you’d ever known, only to masquerade around as someone you’re not.” David was next, he glared back at the dragon, pissed. “And you, well, I almost feel bad. A thousand years all for nothing. Oh well, it was nice entertainment while it lasted.” Corey’s face did not shift, he offered only a plain look to the goddess.

_Sometimes the player read lines of code on a screen. Decoded them into words; decoded words into meaning; decoded meaning into feelings, emotions, theories, ideas, and the player started to breathe faster and deeper and realized it was alive, it was alive, those thousand deaths had not been real, the player was alive._

“I think our time together is done though. Farewell.” The underside of it’s neck scales shifted from a dull purple to a bright, almost pink color, before David and Alexis were drawn out of their shocked paralyzation with a shout, “Run!” They were pushed around and behind one of the obsidian pillars as the dragon roared a poisonous fireball towards them, missing and landing a ways away.

“Listen to me while we have time,” A shriek interrupted Corey, giving the other two a chance to look at him with their full attention, “David, I know your eye is fucked, but you’re the best one here with a bow. I need you to shoot down those pillars. They heal her.” They were forced to move over as bits of rock were flown at them, the beast growing closer, “I'll handle the higher ones if need be, but me and Alexis will try to distract her.” A massive talon landed next to them as they were shoved forward, “Go!”

Alexis and Corey ran to the middle, being out in the open drew the goddess to them, while David kept his back taut against the pillar. As soon as she walked by him he began, even with only one eye he made quick work of the shorter open pillars. One of them with a cage caused him some trouble, but he eventually got it.

Meanwhile, Corey and Alexis began taunting the beast, snagging it with their swords and the occasional arrow. It did no damage but it did keep her attention on them. Attempting to kill them with a fireball that left a cloud of poisonous gas in its wake, to no avail as the other two were easily able to notice her preparing it and dodge the attack. However, their luck was short lived as Alexis was caught by one of her talons, the dragon lifting her off the ground. Before it could rip her to shreds Corey sliced it’s wrist, inky blood pouring out of it’s wounds, similar to Corey’s. The creature did not let go, instead trying to grab him as well, but it’s focus had shifted at the very least.

This dance continued until Corey and Alexis were well beyond bloodied and bruised, the adrenaline keeping them going through the pain.

The final pillar, it was huge. Stretching far beyond the fog of the End. David had wasted six arrows trying to knock it out already, and since he couldn’t see the top, there was only one option left. Corey said he’d get the taller ones, but upon checking their current situation, David realized there was no way he’d be able to make it without the goddess knowing.

So, he climbed. Just as how he’d climbed out of that ravine all those months ago. It got windy as he grew higher, almost slipping a couple times. With a shaky breath he made it onto a larger outcropping, enough to stand on. Nocking his final arrow in his bow, this was his last shot. It whirred through the air for a few seconds before a resounding explosion could be heard. He’d done it.

_And sometimes the player believed the universe had spoken to it through the sunlight that came through the shuffling leaves of the summer trees. And sometimes the player believed the universe had spoken to it through the light that fell from the crisp night sky of winter, where a fleck of light in the corner of the player’s eye might be a star a million times as massive as the sun, boiling its planets to plasma in order to be visible for a moment to the player, walking home at the far side of the universe, suddenly smelling food, almost at the familiar door, about to dream again._

It was clear the goddess noticed her predicament as she frantically looked from pillar to pillar, not expecting to have been so challenged by her guests. David had made his way down from the ledge, sustaining a rather long gash down his leg that left him limping, but not bleeding out, thankfully. The goddess took off into the sky, without any more arrows, the trio could not harm her from there. They recouped as she disappeared into the fog, making sure nobody was dying before returning their gaze upwards. A purple haze replaced the fog as the dragon flew through it, the clouds parting when she swooped down in an attempt to grab one of them with her talons. After narrowly missing, she returned to the fog.

Each of them drew a sword, prepared for another attack, or so they thought. The goddess descended from the left of them, and they had to make a hasty jump out of the way. The game continued, neither party landing a hit on each other. It was a dreadful stalemate.

_And the universe said I love you_

It took one mistake, the goddess flying down in the perfect range for them to make a hit. Alexis drew up her sword as the iron sliced open the dragons exposed and weak underside, the soft scales doing little to deter the attack. The goddess shrieked as even more blood poured from her wounds, struggling to pull herself back up into the air.

_And the universe said everything you need is within you_

It took one mistake, Corey and Alexis found themselves flung thousands of feet into the sky, along with Caitir, which the goddess had dropped after Alexis’ blow. They had a few seconds before they’d hit the ground, there was no surviving this, was there? They were never meant to make it. Prophecies are considered legends for a reason, after all. None of them survive.

_And the universe said you are stronger than you know_

From the ground David screamed both of their names. The goddess had lost too much blood to continue her flying, and landed on the bedrock portal, seemingly victorious. David sprinted the best he could towards the beast, “You bastard!” He drove the weapon deep into the dragon's chest, hot tears rolling down his cheeks as he cried and turned his head to the sky. It’s body falling limp to the side, disregarded.

_And the universe said you are the daylight_

Corey snatched Caitir out of the air and attempted to turn his head to the ground, Alexis doing the same. They were both crying as well, it was only a matter of time, and not much at that. Corey tried to give Alexis a reassuring smile, which she could not return, oh how she wish she could.

_And the universe said you are the night_

“Hey, Alexis,” Corey waited for his friend to face him, a teary and fearful gaze. “Promise me you’ll take care of yourselves. I trust you but David is bound to get into something.” Alexis’ eyes widened, “What? But we’re both… Corey we’re both going to die.” Corey let a breath of air escape his nose in amusement, “No, only me.” He offered her a kind smile, the burning of the tears and his wounds faded.

_And the universe said the darkness you fight is within you_

The ground came into focus as they breached the fog. Alexis stammered, “You both should smile more, it looks good on you.” Her eyes widened as the trident was pointed towards her, “Caitir! Save Alexis!” A vain “No!” was shouted as Alexis was carried to the ground by Caitir, before it lost its glow, it was only capable of fulfilling one wish, of saving one life. 

_And the universe said the light you seek is within you_

David watched in horror as their friend fell to the ground with a sickening snap. Alexis not being able to watch, curled in on herself on the endstone. David knew what awaited him if he walked over to Corey, so instead he opted to pick up Alexis. This was not how their story was supposed to end, this was sickening. They were meant to be walking through that portal together, victorious, a wondrous story to tell. Their physical wounds were nothing compared to this.

_And the universe said you are not alone_

Grief-stricken and still crying they made their way over to their friend's body. Corey was limp and heavy in Alexis’ arms as she embraced him a final time, “You idiot, fuck you, fuck you. Fuck you. Why did you save me? Why? I’d have rather died with you.” David would’ve feigned offence if it wasn’t for the similar grief he felt. He joined Alexis in hugging their friend. This was not how he wanted their final group hug to be, with a corpse. More ‘why’s?’ were muttered underneath Alexis’ breath.

Eventually, they had to let go. As much as they’d love it to, it wouldn’t bring him back. Not without two final phrases being whispered to him, if he could even hear them. “I love you.” David and Alexis both spoke.

They both wished right then the life would return to their friend, a response of ‘I love you too! If I have to of course.’ Instead, he lay there, looking almost peaceful.

_And the universe said I love you because you are love_

The enderdragon’s corpse dissipated into shimmering orbs, which then began to fuel the portal, their way home opened with a whirr. Neither made a move to leave, not wanting to leave their friend.

“We… we can’t stay here forever.” David had his body turned towards the portal as the looked back at Alexis, who stood and faced him with a tear stained face. “I know… I know…” She let herself fall onto David’s side, who was still limping slightly.

The pair both found their eyes wandering back to their friend. “See you on the other side.” Their bodies vanished as the portal swallowed them, returning to the overworld.

_And the game was over and the player woke up from the dream. And the player began a new dream. And the player dreamed again, dreamed better. And the player was the universe. And the player was love_

The End was a dangerous, uninhabitable dimension. Even after its tyrannical ruler had been driven from the world of the mortals. It was cold, desolate, and lonely. A vast wasteland of chorus fruit, ruins, and annoying endermites awaited any who choose to travel through. Enders at every turn you take, daring you to take a glance. 

_You are the player_

Thousands of years of inactivity left it cold, a trio of adventurers being the first to cross its gates.They’d fight valiantly. A skilled archer, cleric, and an ender itself being the first and only to destroy the goddess that ruled the lands. Only two would leave, one left behind.

Deep in the end, on an island of endstone and obsidian. A body stirred.

_Wake up_


	10. Where Have You Been? [+Epilogue]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Deep in the end, on an island of endstone and obsidian. A body stirred."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW : Blood, Goodbyes.

Standing back on the familiar grass of the overworld was beginning to feel increasingly bittersweet. David was carrying Alexis at this point, who had curled in on herself, muttering, incoherently, her thoughts out loud. This wasn’t how they were supposed to leave the end, it was supposed to be a wondrous victory, a victory where the three heroes emerge back into the overworld and go to celebrate with a few drinks and a feast.

Over the course of these past few months, she’s learned that things often do not go to plan. That this supposed “real life” takes joy in throwing curveballs at those who experience it. She clung to David like a lifeline, and if it was slightly painful, he didn’t say anything, opting to rub reassuring circles into her arm.

As much as David wanted to also come to terms with the grief, years of being tossed around and crumpled to his lowest points taught him one thing, physical wounds need to be treated before the mental ones, as your mind does not matter without a body to control. So, he shoved any of those thoughts away and focused on finding shelter and a proper medical kit. Albeit a bit difficult with his shaking friend in his arms. 

Mercy appeared to be shown to them when an abandoned cabin made its way into David’s line of sight. The building didn’t look worn down, but it was obvious from the lack of light and overgrown vegetation that it hadn’t been tended to in quite a while, and at the moment it was their best bet. With tired legs and an even more fatigued mind he trudged forward, eventually making it into the shelter, setting Alexis down as gently as he could on one of the worn couches.

“Stay here, I’m gonna look for medical supplies.” He tried to shove as much sweetness into his words but even they were tainted bitterly. Alexis only made a small sound of acknowledgement, curling further in on herself. As soon as her friend’s footsteps were away the spiraling thoughts came full force, like a tornado. This was not her first experience with death, far from it, that didn’t make it any less painful. How three people could come so close with each other in just a few short months with their fair share of arguments, she didn’t understand. Sure, she was friendly to most people, but that didn’t mean she considered them to be friends.

If anything, she felt as though they didn’t just lose a friend, they lost a member of their family, and that hurt. Her thoughts only got worse, we should’ve just died together, but that would’ve left David alone. I should have died not him, but who knows if his curse would've been suddenly broken, another scenario where David was once again left alone, and Alexis knew, deep down, that his was probably the best option considering how terribly evil the others seemed to be.

Her thoughts were interrupted when David returned, his feet almost dragging behind him at this point. “I..” He had to stop to breathe for a second, quickly kneeling down, or trying to, by Alexis, “I found a few supplies, they should do their job. Do you have any potions left?” At the new distraction she peered down at her bag, which had taken quite a toll. Scooping her hand into the bag gently revealed many shards of glass, which she did her best to maneuver over, and even sharper edges to the once full bottles. Pulling out the least damaged one she could find revealed that she had a mouthful of healing potion left, enough for one person.

“You should drink it, it’s your potion after all. I’ll be alright.” Alexis shook her head at the proposition and held the drink out to David. “Please take it… your ankle is basically broken. I’m more lacerated than anything, bandages can’t fix broken bones.” David knew right now would be the worst time to argue so with a quiet ‘thank you’ he downed the potion, feeling better physically, at least. He took it upon himself to clean and wrap his friends wounds, not enjoying how quiet Alexis had gotten. Soon enough, they were both as healed as they were going to get for now, and the reality of everything flooded back into their minds.

It was a long night full of cuddles and tears, eventually they both fell asleep in each other's embraces, the others' presence offering whatever comfort their minds could consume.

-

This was, odd, to say the least. 

A vast expanse of field and forest stretched before him, a cool breeze making its way through the valley.

This was not quite what he imagined dying was like, if anything, he thought it similar to returning from the End. You just sort of poof into existence, he didn’t expect it to get this existential. However, he was pulled abruptly from his judgements by someone calling his name.

“And what do you think you’re doing here?” The voice had a hint of playfulness as whoever it was poked fun at him, and he knew exactly who that someone was.

“Chris?” Corey turned to stare at the man who was, in fact, Chris. 

“Who else? You know more than one Chris or something?” He chuckled after his statement, obviously enjoying the look of surprise on the other’s face.

“But you’re… y’know. Dead and all…” Before he could make a comment about ‘no shit sherlock’ Corey came to a realization. “Wait… am I dead?!” 

“You best believe you’re not.” Chris chuckled, “If you were there would be a lot less kindness from me. No, your time here will be short.” Corey only responded with an incredulous look, “What? How?” 

“You’ve come very close to death, similar to that time in the Nether, but this time we actually get to see each other again instead of just memories.” He took both of Corey’s hands in his own, “As much as i’d love to spend the rest of eternity with you right now. I think we both know it is far too early.” 

Corey chuckled and pressed his forehead onto Chris’, each of them closing their eyes. “Yeah… I know. It’s never been easy saying goodbye though.” A small circular portal opened beside the two. “Well, I think it’s time for you to go.” Chris looked up at Corey, who hummed.

They both stared at it, quietly enjoying each other’s presence while they had a chance. An arm was wrapped around Corey’s shoulder as Chris spoke, “They care about you a lot you know, those two you’ve been with.” Corey smiled, familiar tears filling his eyes, they didn’t sting his cheeks though. “Yeah, I guess I care about them too. I mean if I have to.” He shrugged in fake carelessness which earned him a soft punch on the shoulder and a ‘you’re an idiot.’ interrupted by laughter from Chris.

With a final hug Corey walked towards the portal. “Goodbye Chris.” 

“I think this is more of a see you later. Farewell, Corey.” With a final wave, he walked through the vortex.

-

_Deep in the end, on an island of endstone and obsidian. A body stirred._

Coming back into consciousness was anything but graceful or glorious. With a groan, Corey lifted himself off the endstone. His wounds had begun closing but him moving around reopened a couple of the larger ones. The yellow-gray stone below him was stained a dark red from his blood.

Wait.

Red? His blood was… red?

Most people, upon staring down at their own puddle of blood, would be terrified, nauseas even. Instead, Corey almost cheered out of joy. His blood was not the inky blackness that mirrored that of an enderman, it was red, like a human. However, it was clear his physical body had not changed. His hands were still black claws and those horns he usually tried to hide were, much to his disappointment, still attached to his skull.

He could care less though, what mattered to him was that his curse was finally broken. After thousands of years of agony and constantly losing hope, he was free. As much as the end had been freed, he had too. With a final victorious shout he walked through the portal, emerging back into the overworld. Corey now had a simple goal in mind, find his friends, and apologize profusely for worrying them, probably get beaten up for worrying them, and then make up. Easy, right?

-

Three days.

Three fucking days of wandering this goddamned forest had gotten him nowhere. Surely his friend’s wouldn’t have gone far right? His searching was only made more challenging with an awful limp he had and constantly having to hold at least one hand over one of the larger wounds on his arm. It had stopped bleeding, but moving around too much reopened it, as he’d found out the hard way a couple days prior.

He knew if he continued like this he’d pass out from exhaustion before even finding a trace of his friends, so slowly and clumsily, he made his way across a field, at the end of which he could see a cabin. From where he was, he could tell there were lights on inside, maybe it’s residents would be kind enough to help him.

-

Dusk was quickly approaching as David cooked him and Alexis some food. Alexis hadn’t moved from her spot on the couch since they arrived, only when she needed to tend to wounds or was forced up by David. With a few quick taps on her arm, David offered her a bowl of stew, which she took with a raspy ‘thank you.’ They ate in silence, and not a welcomed one. 

“I was thinking about sitting outside on the balcony later, to watch the sun set. Would you like to join me?” David looked hopefully at his friend, who only nodded in agreement. He missed the other Alexis, the one that was there for her friends whenever they needed her with a smile and comforting words. The grief was getting to both of them, but it took a greater toll on her, and David was doing his best to help.

After finishing their meal, they returned the bowls to the kitchen, not bothering to clean them, and made their way outside. The crisp summer air was a welcome change from the musty environment inside of the cabin and Alexis silently thanked David for the offer by grabbing his hand. They watched as the sun made it’s descent towards the horizon, casting golden glows through the fields in front of the house. That’s what caused their gaze to falter as it moved downwards.

A stark figure stood in the field a ways away. Enough for them to notice how it was limping but not enough to make out any details. David and Alexis shared a look, each of their initial thoughts being ‘zombie’ until they came to the startling conclusion that this supposed zombie was not burning alive in the setting sun’s light. Their confusion was amplified when the thing _waved._

As it drew closer and each party got a good look at the other, all of them felt their hearts begin to race. Even the world seemed to still at the reunion, the figure continued walking towards them, slowly. 

“Corey? Is it really…?” Alexis trailed off, the other had grown close enough to be within earshot of her almost whispered words.

“Who else? You know more than one Corey or something?” He chuckled at his play on words that he’d heard from Chris. 

Corey almost toppled over when two familiar weights crashed into him, encasing him in a tight group hug. “You’re a fucking asshole. We were worried sick.” David feigned anger but it was clear from the joyous tears that poured from his eyes that he was far from it. Alexis squeezed him tighter, “You came back. Even from the dead, you… thank you for coming back.”

With as much strength as he could muster he returned their unyielding embrace, “I already told you, I’ll always come back.”

[ EPILOGUE] -

The passing days were spent healing wounds and celebrating their victory. The thoughts that had previously clouded Alexis’ mind slowly became less violent and loud in their approach, and she was able to finally be herself again. Eventually, things seemed to be back to normal. The occasional banter between Corey and David that sometimes led to more intense arguments that, thankfully, Alexis was there to dissipate, the constant teasing and bullying that all three of them shared with each other, and even a few sleepy cuddles were all a welcome change from the hell they’d experienced on their adventure. 

None of them regretted it, though. Because it was the reason they’d met, it was the reason they were able to be here together, happily chatting the hours away as if nothing else mattered in the world but being with each other.

“So, what's our next big adventure? Another random prophecy? Maybe we’ll go hunting for a mysterious creature in the woods?” Corey joked one night, messing with a few knots in the wool of his beanie. Alexis chuckled before responding, “Ooh I have a good idea! How about we set a compass on David and then hunt him down in the woods.” Corey sat up straighter and pretended to get serious about it, “I like your thinking, David, start running.” David yelled a ‘fuck off’ from the kitchen where he was preparing a loaf of bread for the trio, Alexis and Corey responding with their own laughter before continuing their conversation.

Eventually, David entered the living room where the other two were sat, giving each of them a share of his still warm bread. Conversation was easy between the three of them, and they barely noticed as the moon met its highest peak in the sky, signaling they’d been talking for quite a while. Corey told the other two they were welcome to sleep, and he’d clean up the mess. After a bit of arguing, they agreed. 

Before anyone could go anywhere David finally decided to bring up something he’d been wanting too since early that night. “Hey, I know it was probably a joke. But I have an adventure in mind if you guys are up for it.” He looked towards the other two, gauging their reactions.

“If you’re going, we’re going. So, what did you have in mind?”

“Well… There’s this kingdom.”

-

“My lord, I’m sorry. We presumed him dead and… and-” The knight was cut short at his majesty’s booming voice that seemed to echo through the throneroom.

“Enough! I don’t care about your petty excuses.” The King raised his scepter to the knights throat. “You either bring me his head, or I'll have yours.” 

“Yes, sir.” The knight made a hasty exit after the king dismissed him.

“A minor nuisance, I have no time for this. You made a mistake not dying in that ravine, David.”

END OF BOOK 1 -

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading this far. Chapter 10 will be the final real chapter of book 1. I hope to publish the first chapter of book 2 early next year. Chapter 11 will be a chapter full of alternate endings/storylines as well as me clearing up some possible plot holes that I haven't yet adressed.


End file.
